Mali drone strikes kill at least 10 civilians at wedding

Mali’s military carries out strikes during security crisis after attacks last month by al-Qaeda-linked fighters and Tuareg separatists.Drone strikes by Mali’s army have killed at least 10 civilians as they prepared to celebrate a wedding in the central region of San in another escalation of the conflict since armed groups launched a widespread coordinated assault late last month.The strikes on Sunday occurred during a security crisis after attacks on the military government’s positions last month by fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Tuareg separatists known as the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Macron tours East Africa amid push to redefine France’s role in Africalist 2 of 3Can Macron’s Kenya visit revive French influence in Africa?list 3 of 3How ISWAP and Boko Haram are reshaping the Lake Chad Basinend of listA resident of the Tene locality, where the strikes took place, told the AFP news agency that “10 of our children” were killed. “What was supposed to be a moment of joy in the village turned into immense sorrow,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.“The tragedy occurred as the villagers were preparing the second edition of this traditional collective wedding, a major cultural event for this community,” a security source who requested anonymity for safety reasons told AFP.The strikes targeted “a procession of motorbikes following one another”, he added. “That is certainly what drew the attention of the drones.”A local official also confirmed to AFP that about 10 people had been killed. “A wedding was about to take place when the drones killed at least 10 civilians. It is truly a time of mourning,” he told AFP.Mali has been in a critical security situation since JNIM teamed up with rebels in the FLA in April. A deadly offensive on April 25 and 26 targeted strategic towns and killed the country’s influential defence minister.