In Mali, about 20 soldiers were killed in a pre-dawn attack on an army camp in central Mali on Sunday. “Terrorists” entered the camp near the village of Sokolo, killed the soldiers and caused “significant material damage,” the government said in a statement. The UN warned that the geographic focus of terrorist attacks has shifted eastwards from Mali to Burkina Faso and is increasingly threatening West African coastal states, with a bloody start in 2020. The number of attacks have increased fivefold in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger since 2016, and more than 4,000 deaths were reported in 2019, UN figures have revealed. Mali is also member of the G5-Sahel force, comprising troops from Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 27, 2020 15:45 UTC