The explosion took place in the center of Mali, in the region of Mopti, killing 11 people and injuring 53.
Le Monde with AFP
At least 11 civilians were killed Thursday, October 13 and 53 injured in central Mali when the bus that transported them hit an explosive device, said a hospital source. The explosion occurred in the early afternoon on the road between Bandiagara and Goundaka, in the Mopti sector, according to a security source. The new assessment was confirmed by the town hall of Bandiagara.
“We have just transferred nine bodies to the reference health center. And it’s not over,” said France-Presse (AFP) Moussa Housseyni, of the Bandiagara Young Association. The missing are all civilians, he said.
Forty-seven people were finally sent to the care center, according to the hospital source, which speaks of a total of 53 injured.
the favorite weapon of jihadists
Center of Mali is one of the homes of violence and jihadist activity that spread from the North in 2012 and who won Burkina Faso and Niger Voisins.
Mines and improvised explosive devices (EEI) are one of the favorite weapons of jihadists. They explode in contact with a wheel or are activated remotely.
A report of the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) arrested on August 31 counted 245 attacks on EEIs and mines in 2021 and 134 in 2022. Mines and EEIs left 103 dead in 2021 and 72 in 2022, says the report. They mainly affect the Malian army and minusma. But a quarter of the victims are civilians, according to the report.