A series of drone strikes conducted by the Malian armed forces (FAMA) on Sunday on a health center in Tinzaouaten, Mali, near the Algerian border, has resulted in the deaths of 21 civilians, with 11 of those fatalities being children..In a short statement on X, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) announced, "news flash: Tinzaouatene under fire from FAMa drones! Second series of strikes reported at 11:03 UTC [Sunday].".According to a Tuareg journalist, most of the deceased children were receiving treatment at the health center, which was donated to the area. The strikes also resulted in the death of the center's manager..The strikes come as retribution for the devastating battle of Tinzaouaten (July 25-27) between the FAMA, its Russian mercenary aids, and Tuareg separatists and Islamic militants, which claimed the lives of over 80 mercenaries and nearly 50 Malian soldiers..What You Need to Know.In its statement on the strikes, the Permanent Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA), an umbrella group of Tuareg rebel and separatist groups stated, "the CSP-DPA informs Azawad and international opinion that this Sunday, August 25, 2024, the army of the Malian junta and the Russian mercenaries of Wagner group, in pursuit of the targeted ethnic cleansing project instructed by the Bamako junta, carried out several drone strikes from Burkina Faso in Tinzawatene, a few meters from Algerian territory.".Similar to previous drone strikes conducted on the area, which killed several Chadian, Nigerien, and Sudanese workers in late July, the Malian army allegedly worked in conjunction with the armed forces of Burkina Faso, who also forms part of the AES.."The CSP-DPA, while rigorously condemning the institutiobnalization of state terrorism by the Bamako junta and its supporters against unarmed civilians in their own homes, presents its deepest condolences to the families of the victims bereaved by a terrorist horde and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured. The CSP-DPA calls on the international community, sub-regional and human rights organizations, as well as neighboring countries to record this act with genocidal overtones to the credit of the criminals of the junta and their accomplices with a view to answering for their actions before international justice," the statement concludes..In its own statement, the General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces confirmed the strikes and claimed the separatists committed human rights abuses in the area, including the use of human shields. As such, the Malian military's spokesperson urged the civilian populations to "stay away from terrorists and join the centers and sites secured by the staff of the armies." Stating that the destruction of the wealth, refuges, and accomplices of terrorists continue..So, What Now?.Since the battle of Tinzaouaten, the Malian armed forces have struggled to strike the Tuareg separatists and Islamic militants who took part in the attack on government forces. Strikes on the area will likely continue, prompting a further exodus of civilians into neighboring Algeria, which lies just meters from the commune of Tinzaouaten..Interestingly, images released after the strikes allegedly depict Algerian border forces helping the wounded into vehicles to be transported over the border, although this claim has not been independently verified.
A series of drone strikes conducted by the Malian armed forces (FAMA) on Sunday on a health center in Tinzaouaten, Mali, near the Algerian border, has resulted in the deaths of 21 civilians, with 11 of those fatalities being children..In a short statement on X, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) announced, "news flash: Tinzaouatene under fire from FAMa drones! Second series of strikes reported at 11:03 UTC [Sunday].".According to a Tuareg journalist, most of the deceased children were receiving treatment at the health center, which was donated to the area. The strikes also resulted in the death of the center's manager..The strikes come as retribution for the devastating battle of Tinzaouaten (July 25-27) between the FAMA, its Russian mercenary aids, and Tuareg separatists and Islamic militants, which claimed the lives of over 80 mercenaries and nearly 50 Malian soldiers..What You Need to Know.In its statement on the strikes, the Permanent Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA), an umbrella group of Tuareg rebel and separatist groups stated, "the CSP-DPA informs Azawad and international opinion that this Sunday, August 25, 2024, the army of the Malian junta and the Russian mercenaries of Wagner group, in pursuit of the targeted ethnic cleansing project instructed by the Bamako junta, carried out several drone strikes from Burkina Faso in Tinzawatene, a few meters from Algerian territory.".Similar to previous drone strikes conducted on the area, which killed several Chadian, Nigerien, and Sudanese workers in late July, the Malian army allegedly worked in conjunction with the armed forces of Burkina Faso, who also forms part of the AES.."The CSP-DPA, while rigorously condemning the institutiobnalization of state terrorism by the Bamako junta and its supporters against unarmed civilians in their own homes, presents its deepest condolences to the families of the victims bereaved by a terrorist horde and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured. The CSP-DPA calls on the international community, sub-regional and human rights organizations, as well as neighboring countries to record this act with genocidal overtones to the credit of the criminals of the junta and their accomplices with a view to answering for their actions before international justice," the statement concludes..In its own statement, the General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces confirmed the strikes and claimed the separatists committed human rights abuses in the area, including the use of human shields. As such, the Malian military's spokesperson urged the civilian populations to "stay away from terrorists and join the centers and sites secured by the staff of the armies." Stating that the destruction of the wealth, refuges, and accomplices of terrorists continue..So, What Now?.Since the battle of Tinzaouaten, the Malian armed forces have struggled to strike the Tuareg separatists and Islamic militants who took part in the attack on government forces. Strikes on the area will likely continue, prompting a further exodus of civilians into neighboring Algeria, which lies just meters from the commune of Tinzaouaten..Interestingly, images released after the strikes allegedly depict Algerian border forces helping the wounded into vehicles to be transported over the border, although this claim has not been independently verified.
