Mali - September 2023

The level of violence in Mali increased significantly in September as separatist groups in the north stepped up their attempts to capture territory from government forces. As many as 150 people were killed in September, including 49 civilians in one attack on a riverboat. As a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force withdraws from the country (at the request of Mali’s military government) it leaves a security vacuum. It now appears that a peace deal between the government and ethnic Tuareg separatist groups that has been in effect since 2015 is likely to collapse. The UN has warned that a humanitarian crisis is likely if the current trends in violence continue. 33,000 people have already fled northern Mali.

Sources:  Africa Report, Associated Press (1), Associated Press (2), Al Jazeera, British Broadcasting Corporation