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An attack on a village in central Mali dozens of deaths left the country in shock, highlighting the security problems it was facing and fueling fears of renewed violence in the face of growing ethnic tensions between the Dogon and Fulani peoples.
The badault of several hours on the village of Sobane-Kou began late Sunday and continued until late at night.
Survivors described armed men arriving by motorcycle and truck and surrounding the village of about 300 inhabitants located in an ethnic majority enclave belonging to the Dogon ethnic group, in the Mopti region of Mali. The attackers killed anyone who tried to escape, burned their house and slaughtered farm animals, the survivors said.
On Monday, the government announced the death toll of 95, although there are fears that the number of people killed will be higher.
There has been no claim of responsibility so far. The attack, however, was marked by a cycle of violence – largely driven by ethnic tensions – that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people over the past 18 months.
In March, nearly 160 members of the Fulani ethnic group were mbadacred by a group identified as Dogon, in one of the worst bloodshed in Mali's recent history.
"Following this attack, a group of Jamaat al-Islam al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen and their leader Amadou Kouffa – a Fulani himself – said that the Fulanis would seek revenge for these attacks," said Nicolas Haque de Al Jazeera, reporting from the capital, Bamako.
After the Sobane-Kou killings, "a Dogon ruler said that the killings were an act of war and that he believed the Fulani were responsible," Haque added.
He added that the latest murder "shocked the nation" and "affects the Malian social fabric".
The rivalry between the Dogon, who are farmers, and the Fulani, who form a group of sedentary shepherds, dates back todeep grievances on the earth "Haque said.
"We are at the height of the dry season, so there is really a tension on dry land, a shortage of food and both communities suffer from a lack of food and access," he declared.
Added to this is the inaction of the government, described by Haque as "completely overwhelmed by this situation".
"The bottom line is that the state is not present.The army is not able to ensure the safety of the Fulanis and Dogons." In recent months, 488 people were reportedly killed in the inter-communal conflict. "
Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita interrupted a visit to Switzerland and was due to return to Bamako on Tuesday.
"This country can not be led by a cycle of revenge and revenge," he told ORTM's public television Monday, calling on Malians to unite to "allow our country to survive because it's a matter of survival ".
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Boubou Cisse visited Sobane Kou to "convey the support of the nation and verify that security measures have been strengthened," according to his office.
& # 39; Spiral of violence & # 39;
In a statement issued Monday, the head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) condemned the attack as an act of "barbarism without name".
"The situation has exceeded the tolerable threshold, and it is time for the nation to wake up," said Mahamat Saleh Annadif.
The head of MINUSMA also said that "everyone is responsible" for the "spiral of violence".
According to spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, outraged by the attack, called on all parties in Mali to "show restraint and refrain from reprisals".
Officials and residents stand near freshly dug graves in Dogon village of Sobane-Kou, near Sangha [AFP]
French forces had intervened in Mali, a former French colony, in 2013 to repel an advance armed from the north, but the fighters have since regrouped.
About 14,700 soldiers and police are currently deployed in Mali, making it the most dangerous mission of the UN; 125 peacekeepers have been killed in attacks since their deployment in 2013.
The donor countries of MINUSMA are due to meet on Wednesday at the United Nations Security Council to decide whether to renew the peacekeeping mission in Mali.
The decision should be taken by June 27th.
According to Haque, the French want to see the mandate of the mission renewed, while the United States wants a mission "that can intervene and help the forces outside Mali".
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