On 10 June 2019, the
Dogon village of Sobane Da in
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...
was attacked. Moulaye Guindo, mayor of neighbouring
Bankass
Bankass (''Báŋkà:s'') is a town and rural commune located in the Mopti Region of Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar ...
, blamed a
Fulani
The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...
militia group. The attack killed 35 people, revised from an earlier claim of 95 killed with 19 missing. A survivor said the attackers numbered about 50, driving motorbikes and pickup trucks.
The government of Mali has suspected that terrorists have committed the attack.
Background
The
Fulanis who are traditionally herders and the
Dogon who are traditionally farmers have had a historic dispute over grazing land and water which has been exacerbated by the spread of
jihadism in Mali. The Dogon have accused the Fulani of supporting
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
and other terrorist groups operating in Mali, while the Fulani have accused the state of sponsoring the Dogons to attack them.
MINUSMA
The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (, MINUSMA) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali. MINUSMA was established on 25 April 2013 by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2100 to stabilise ...
had recorded 488 Fulani deaths in attacks by Dogon, and 63 Dogon deaths from Fulani attacks during the period from January 2018 to 16 May 2019 in the
Mopti
Mopti ( Bambara: ߡߏߕߌ tr. Moti) is a town and an urban commune in the Inner Niger Delta region of Mali. The town is the capital of the Mopti Cercle and the Mopti Region. Situated 630 km northeast of Bamako, the town lies at the conf ...
and
Ségou Region
Ségou Region ( Bambara: ߛߋߓߎ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Segu Dineja) is an administrative region in Mali, situated in the centre of the country with an area of , around 5% of Mali. The region is bordered by Sikasso Region on the south, Tombouctou a ...
s. The deadliest was the
Ogossagou massacre. The
Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin
Nusrat al-Islam, officially known as Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin' (, JNIM; , GSIM English: ''Support Group for Islam and Muslims'') is a militant jihadist organisation in the Maghreb and West Africa formed by the merger of Ansar Dine ...
and
Amadou Koufa had promised retaliation by Fulanis.
Attack
The attack on Sobane-Da began on 9 June and continued for seven hours. The perpetrators came on motorbikes and besieged the village, killing people and burning homes. The head of the village, Gouno Dara, has said that the attackers shot everyone they encountered and were repeatedly shouting "
Allahu Akbar
Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", a ...
". Dara adds that they burnt buildings and stole domestic animals before retreating. A security source said that the village had been practically razed. Malian researcher, Ousmane Diallo, has commented that the attack bears the hallmarks of jihadists.
Earlier the government had given a provisional death toll of 95 based on claims by some soldiers and the mayor of the district, Ali Dolo. Doubts however started appearing on this figure and a count carried out by the civil protection force, forensics team and Mopti's public prosecutor confirmed the toll to be 35, the confusion being partly due to around 100 women being able to escape the village, according to a released government statement.
Arrests
Six suspects have been arrested, including 2 arrested by MINUSMA, following routine checks.
Aftermath
One week after the attack, 41 people were killed in two more Dogon villages.
See also
*
Ogossagou massacre
References
{{coord missing, Mali
2019 crimes in Mali
2019 murders in Africa
Attacks in Africa in 2019
June 2019 crimes in Africa
June 2019 events in Africa
Massacres in 2019
Massacres in Mali
Terrorist incidents in Mali in 2019
Dogon history