At least 25 civilians were killed in a deadly ambush on a civilian convoy escorted between Gao and Ansongo, near Kobé, about 30 km from Gao in Mali, on Friday afternoon.
The General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA), in a statement, confirmed that in addition to the deaths, dozens more were injured in the attack.
The attack, carried out by a group of heavily armed terrorists, primarily targeted young foreign gold miners on their way to the N’Tahaka gold mine.
According to the FAMA press release, the terrorists, pushed back during the violent clashes, deliberately targeted panicked civilian passengers, setting fire to three civilian vehicles.
The attack comes amid growing insecurity in the Gao region, where armed groups such as the Islamic State in the Sahel (IS-S) frequently carry out ambushes and kidnappings. Two days before this incident, a Malian from the diaspora was kidnapped on the same road, highlighting the vulnerability of civilians and transporters.
Authorities discovered at least 19 bodies of terrorists, four wounded individuals, and several weapons and war materials abandoned on site after securing the affected area.
