Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of State condemned the December 3 attack
on a civilian bus in Mali that killed 31 individuals and wounded 17 ot


<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
Mass Casualty Attack Prompts U.S. To Condemn Violence In Mali

 

(New York, N.Y.) — Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of State condemned
<[link removed]> the December 3 attack on a
civilian bus inMali <[link removed]> that
killed 31 individuals and wounded 17 others. Gunmen opened fire on the bus as
it was traveling from the village of Songho to a market in Bandiagara. The
attack occurred in the Mopti region, an area often targeted by insurgents from
Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM)—an al-Qaeda-linked jihadist
group—and ISIS.

 

Although the United States announced in January 2021 that it was considering
reducing the number of U.S. troops in Mali, following the December 3 attack,
Washington reaffirmed its commitment to its partnership with Mali “in their
pursuit of a safe, prosperous, and democratic future.” More that 7,000 U.S.
military personnel are deployed in Africa and have provided critical support to
France’s regional anti-terror campaign, Operation Barkhane, in terms of
intelligence and surveillance via drones. The French expect Operation Barkhane
to end in the first quarter of 2022, which would involve the closure of French
bases and a diminished troop presence.

 

Malian military personnel have received extensive military assistance from the
United Nations as part of the U.N. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization
Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and training from the U.S. as part of the State
Department’s Antiterrorism Assistance Program. Islamist groups including ISIS
and al-Qaeda affiliates, however, continue to control territory in northern
Mali and to carry out attacks across the country.

 

Mali maintains some military and governance responsibilities in the north.
However, Islamist militants have expanded their activities into the central and
southern parts of the country. Given the ongoing insurgency, Mali is even more
heavily dependent on foreign powers—particularly France—and the United Nations.

 

To read the Counter Extremism Project (CEP)’s resource Mali, please click here
<[link removed]>.

 

###

Unsubscribe
<[link removed]>