Mali: Armed group kills dozens at wedding celebration

An armed group attacked a wedding ceremony in central Mali on Monday, killing at least 21 people, residents and local officials said on Wednesday.
The attack happened in the village of Djiguibombo, not far from the town of Bandiagara, in the center of the country. One local official pointed the finger at jihadists.
The West African nation's military rulers have been struggling to combat growing violence by extremists.
Guests massacred, homes looted
The assailants rode on motorcycles into the village on Monday evening and crashed the wedding celebrations, the President of the local youth group, Bakary Guindo said.
"Most of the victims had their throats slit," Guindo added, others were shot dead. A youth representative said that the attack began before nightfall and "lasted around three hours," adding that more than half were "young people."
Ginna Dogon, an organization that represents the Dogon ethnic group, said the attackers looted people's houses, set fire to a health center and stole livestock and supplies.
It is "the latest tragedy in a dark series that the Dogon country has been going through for several years, with daily attacks on villages, farmers in the fields, killings and kidnappings," the group said.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, it bears similarities to previous attacks by the al-Qaida-linked JNIM extremist group, which has targeted the region multiple times before.
The assailants rode on motorcycles into the village on Monday evening and crashed the wedding celebrations, the President of the local youth group, Bakary Guindo said.
"Most of the victims had their throats slit," Guindo added, others were shot dead. A youth representative said that the attack began before nightfall and "lasted around three hours," adding that more than half were "young people."
Ginna Dogon, an organization that represents the Dogon ethnic group, said the attackers looted people's houses, set fire to a health center and stole livestock and supplies.
It is "the latest tragedy in a dark series that the Dogon country has been going through for several years, with daily attacks on villages, farmers in the fields, killings and kidnappings," the group said.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, it bears similarities to previous attacks by the al-Qaida-linked JNIM extremist group, which has targeted the region multiple times before.