The victims are mainly young people. Young people who were preparing to celebrate a traditional collective wedding in central Mali when Malian army drones struck.
These strikes took place on Sunday in the town of Téné, located in the San region (center). They intervene in a context marked by a critical security situation in the country after large-scale coordinated attacks carried out on April 25 and 26 by jihadists from the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM), allied to Al-Qaeda, and the Liberation Front rebellion. of Azawad (FLA), predominantly Tuareg.
“Ten of our children were killed by gunfire whose origins are unknown,” a local resident told AFP on condition of anonymity. “What was supposed to be a moment of joy in the village turned into enormous sadness,” he lamented.
A motorcade
A security source, who requested anonymity for his safety, confirmed the strikes. “The tragedy occurred while the villagers were preparing the second edition of this traditional collective wedding, a major cultural event for this community,” he told AFP.
According to him, the strikes targeted “a procession of several motorcycles following each other.” “That’s certainly what got the attention of the drones. There were at least nine deaths,” he added.
A local elected official also confirmed to AFP around ten deaths. “A wedding was to take place when drones killed at least ten civilians. It’s really a mourning,” he told AFP.
