Central Mali has been torn by ethnic violence as a result of a jihadist revolt that broke out in the north of the country in 2012. Tit-for-tat attacks in central Mali flared after Fulani people, also called Peul, became associated with jihadists. ‘Epicentre’ of violenceHuman Rights Watch this month pointed to the ethnic patchwork of central Mali as the country’s “epicentre” of violence. On January 26, Al-Qaeda-linked militants attacked a military camp in Sokolo, central Mali, killing 20 gendarmes and wounding five more. The violence in central Mali coincides with renewed hopes that the fragile government can reassert control over the widely lawless north.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 15, 2020 15:11 UTC