How many were killed in the latest Mali village attack?

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Nearly 100 people were killed in the latest Mali village attack.

Approximately 95 individuals lost their lives in a brutal overnight assault on Sobane-Kou village in central Mali. The attack, which also resulted in 19 missing persons and the torching of numerous homes, targeted a community inhabited by the Dogon ethnic group.
Toll from the Attack

Local officials in the Koundou district, where Sobane-Kou is located, reported that 95 people were killed, with their bodies reportedly burned. The Malian government's provisional toll confirmed 95 fatalities and 19 missing individuals. A survivor's account indicated 95 dead, 38 wounded, and approximately 20 unaccounted for. The village, with a population of about 300, was described by a Malian security source as "virtually wiped out."
Nature of the Violence

The massacre bore characteristics of retaliatory ethnic violence, a pattern that has led to hundreds of deaths in the region. The attack occurred less than three months after nearly 160 members of the Fulani ethnic group were killed in a raid attributed to Dogon hunters. A survivor described the attackers as "about 50 heavily armed men" who arrived on motorbikes and pickups, systematically killing anyone attempting to escape, including women, children, and the elderly. Grain stores and cattle were also reportedly destroyed.
Broader Context of Violence

This incident is the latest in a cycle of violence plaguing central Mali, an area marked by ethnic diversity. The conflict intensified following the emergence of a predominantly Fulani jihadist group in 2015, which became associated with the Fulani community, thereby exacerbating tensions with other ethnic groups like the Bambara and Dogon. The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (Minusma) has recorded at least 488 deaths in attacks on Fulanis in the central regions of Mopti and Segou since January 2018. In response to the latest massacre, the Malian government stated that reinforcements had been deployed to the area and a wide-ranging search was underway to apprehend those responsible.

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How many were killed in the latest Mali village attack?

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