Suspected jihadists killed over 20 people in a series of violent attacks on villages in Mali’s Mopti region on Friday, local sources reported.
The attackers, described as arriving in large numbers on motorcycles, targeted six villages in the Bandiagara area. They reportedly killed residents indiscriminately and set the villages ablaze.
The assaults began during the day and continued into the evening, leaving widespread destruction in their wake. 
There has been no immediate response from Mali’s ruling military junta regarding the incidents.
Mali has been grappling with a decade-long insurgency led by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The unrest began in the country’s north after a Tuareg separatist rebellion in 2012 and has since spread across the Sahel, displacing millions and claiming thousands of lives.
The latest attacks underscore the continued challenges in restoring security and stability to the region.
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