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Relatives of the victims of jihadist attacks met in two cities in Mali to demand increased support from the government, particularly from the army (soldier photographed in July 2013). By KAMBOU SIA (AFP / File)
Hundreds of wives and children of Malian soldiers killed in a series of jihadist attacks gathered Friday in two downtown cities, calling for more support for the military .
The cities of Segou, the capital of the region, and Sevare have seen the relatives of the victims gather to demand increased support from the government, said AFP participants.
The families of the soldier had already gathered last week in the central city of Dioura, the scene of an attack that claimed the lives of 26 people, according to the latest official record of the army.
Bamako has decreed three days of official mourning for the deaths that occurred on Friday following the "cowardly" murders.
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita called for a strong security line, but this failed to pacify the families of the victims.
During the rally in Ségou, a group of women blocked traffic by sitting down in the middle of the road while children who had lost their father after the attacks set the tires on fire, witnesses said.
"We were told that helicopters had been bought for the army – where are they, why do not they use them?" demanded a woman, Fatoumata, who claimed to have lost her husband during the Dioura attack.
"Hundreds of women and children are here to demonstrate in Segou to denounce the lack of resources for the army," said Oumar Toure, a teacher.
"We do not want our husbands to continue dying this way," other women chanted at a rally in Sevare, near Mopti, another central capital of the country.
Some protesters in Sevare called for the resignation of the chief of staff, local media said.
A group of badociations gathered about 1,000 people at a meeting in Bamako, the capital, to call for solutions to an education crisis after repeated strikes by sector teachers. public asking for better conditions.
"There has been more school for months – the government and teachers must urgently find a common ground," said organizer Mohamed Kimbiri, adding that the alarming security situation in Mali was another major concern.
More than that, at least four civilians were killed and two wounded on Friday when armed badailants attacked the central city of Bandiagara and took away food and livestock, military sources said.
Hama Dengu, a resident of the nearby town of Diombolo, said the attack was perpetrated by a Fulani ethnic group, which had already been sighted in the vicinity.
UN sources attribute to the group about 500 deaths this year.
A military source told AFP that troops had been deployed in the area after the attack and had found a motorcycle bomb, which had exploded, killing a local man who had lost his life by fifth.
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