Bamako: The Malian army has reportedly killed at least 203 militants during a military operation in the central part of the country. The operation was conducted on March 23-31 in the Mora area, the Agence France-Presse reported, citing the Malian military.
The Malian forces also detained 51 militants and seized large number of weapons. The situation in Mali was destabilized in 2012 when the Tuareg militants seized vast territories in the northern part of the country. The conflict escalated even more over the activities of Islamists, forces loyal to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi as well as French interference.
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Mali has seen an uptick in violence in recent weeks, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning the UN Security Council that Mali’s counter-terrorism efforts had ‘disastrous consequences for the civilian population’, AFP news agency reported. The UN also said on Friday that thousands fleeing amid fighting in Mali had arrived in Niger.
Meanwhile, the Malian army said it was guided by human rights and international law in its statement on Friday, and called for ‘restraint against defamatory speculations’. Earlier, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, known by the acronym MINUSMA, had said that security have ‘deteriorated considerably’ in the border area with Burkina Faso and Niger.
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