A policeman and a civilian were killed and seven were wounded in an attack in jihadist-torn eastern Mali, officials said Wednesday. The attack occurred Tuesday evening at a checkpoint in San, a town some 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of the capital Bamako and about 80 kms from the border with Burkina Faso. Two gendarmes, a police officer and four civilians were wounded and the police station was ransacked, according to the mayor’s and governor’s offices. The attack was carried out by “suspected jihadists,” a local police source told AFP.
Mali is in the throes of an 11-year-old security crisis triggered by a regional revolt in the north that developed into a full-blown jihadist insurgency. Since August 2020, Mali has been ruled by the military, leading to a bust-up with France, the country’s traditional ally, and closer ties with Russia. The violence has mainly affected the centre and the east and spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
