Sahel :15 Soldiers, 6 Civilians Killed

Sunday, April 24, 2022 was a dark day for the people of Mali and Burkina Faso following what appears to be a well-coordinated simultaneous attack on military bases of the two the neighbouring West African countries. In Mali, the attack occurred when vehicles packed with explosives were driven into three military camps in the centre of the country before dawn on Sunday, the military said in a statement. Six soldiers were killed and 15 wounded at the Sevare camp, and five were wounded at two other locations.  At the other side of the border in northern Burkina Faso, attacks on military detachments in Gaskinde and Pobe-Mengao in the early hours killed nine soldiers and six civilians, including two who were members of an armed self-defence group.
Military sources said 11 attackers were killed during the raid on the Sevare military camp, where two AK-47 assault rifles, mobile phones and other military equipment were recovered from the deceased. Aljazeera reports that, though reliable military sources say the situation is under control with the Malian armed forces (FAMa) combing through the target sectors, a request has been sent to the UN Mission in Mali seeking deployment of a rapid intervention force to the Sevare camp.
A few months ago, military juntas snatched power in these two countries (Mali and Burkina Faso), promising to provide greater security than their democratically elected predecessors. But since then, viole...