At least 13 civilians were killed in an attack attributed to its jihadists Islamic State in northern Maliaccording to the French News Agency (AFP) citing unnamed officials of the African country.

“The provisional toll is 13 dead, more than ten injured and hundreds displaced in Gabero district,” Gao district, said an official who clarified that there was no military force at the scene when the attack took place. “They killed many people, at least 17,” another official said. “This is the first time (the jihadists) have killed like this,” he claimed.

At Gao and Menaka districts, further east, hundreds of civilians have been killed since 2022 in attacks attributed to a jihadist group that is an offshoot of the Islamic State. Displaced villagers seek refuge in urban centers or even in neighboring Niger.

Analysts say the jihadists have taken advantage of the security vacuum following the withdrawal of the French military force in 2022, after Mali’s junta ended its cooperation with France and turned to Russia.

On June 16, the military junta ruling Mali called for the immediate withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping force (MINUSMA), denouncing the “failure” of its mission. It is up to the UN Security Council to decide tomorrow Thursday on the future of the mission, whose mandate expires at the end of the month.