Islamists Massacre of Civilians in Mali (Burkina Faso and Niger)
Murad Makhmudov and Noriko Watanabe
Modern Tokyo Times
Sunni Islamists killed over 50 people in the environs of Goa in Mali. This happened after Islamists ambushed a civilian convoy that was protected by the armed forces.
The Mali army released a statement confirming that a “terrorist group consisting of multiple armed individuals” ambushed a convoy.
According to a local official, 56 bodies were counted in the hospital in Gao. While the majority of people killed were civilians, soldiers were also killed after the ambush took place.
Reuters reports, “The attackers struck near the village of Kobe, around 30 kilometers from Gao in a region where affiliates of Islamic State and al-Qaida have been active for over a decade, destabilizing Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.”
In 2023, the nations of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger signed the Alliance of Sahel States. This formation developed rapidly after bellicose statements by ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) – and because of the Islamist terrorist crisis that bedevils the Sahel region.
ECOWAS nations and France have failed the region – according to the leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are intent on strengthening the fight against Islamic terrorist forces, criminality, and forces that are weakening these three nations. Hence, cementing events from 2023, all three nations announced a joint counterterrorism force to counter instability in 2024.
Sunni Islamic Takfiri terrorist groups utilize Libya (North Africa) and Nigeria (West Africa) to spread regional mayhem throughout the Sahel and Lake Chad region. This concerns criminal activity, expanding terrorist networks, massacres, ambushing military convoys, the spreading of Islamist Takfiri ideology, and other ills.
In northern Mali, the Tuareg separatists of the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) – and other insurgent forces connected to Islamist groups – oppose the entrenchment of the armed forces of Mali in northern parts of the country.
In a past article, Modern Tokyo Times said, “It is incumbent on America, ECOWAS, the European Union, and G7 nations to work with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger economically and in the supply of military weapons. This must be based on listening to these nations and supporting their needs in their fight against terrorism and instability.”
Lee Jay Walker (Modern Tokyo Times analyst) reports, “The Sahel and Lake Chad region is bedeviled by forces that seek to destabilize Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. It is high time for the international community to listen to these three nations and provide unconditional support based on their respective requests. If not, growing poverty will lead to mass immigration – and Islamists will develop and entrench themselves throughout a vast part of Africa.”
The central government of Mali and Tuareg forces need to compromise in the north. If not, Islamists will gain at the expense of both.
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