Published on : 02/06/2022 – 23:13
Boni, in the center of the country, has been under a jihadist blockade for almost ten days. The road leading to this town in the Mopti region is blocked by a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda, which wants to punish the inhabitants for their supposed cooperation with the army and for conduct deemed to be inconsistent with their conception of the situation. ‘Islam. The Malian army is mobilized, but the situation persists.
Katiba Serma has set up its checkpoint 10 km south of Boni.
According to concordant local civilian and security sources, these jihadists affiliated with the Support Group for Islam and Muslims, the Jnim, linked to Aqmi, sent emissaries to Boni on Wednesday May 25 to convey their message: they blame certain inhabitants to deliver information to the Malian army and its Russian auxiliaries.
They also denounce violence specifically targeting the Fulani community, and the non-compliance with instructions given on the wearing of the veil or on social celebrations, baptisms and weddings, deemed too demonstrative.
As a result, it has been almost ten days since any traveler has been able to get to Boni, apart from a few rare light vehicles, which have ventured to take a secondary road that is difficult to pass through.
At least sixteen buses, around a thousand passengers, are currently blocked in Douentza, the last town accessible on the RN16 before the section blocked by the jihadists.
Community initiatives are reportedly underway to try to resolve the situation.
Always from concordant local civil and security sources, the Malian army would have carried out bombardments in recent days, in particular in the neighboring forest of Niarangou, which would serve as a refuge for the katiba Serma. Asked by RFI, the army did not respond.