Attackers believed to belong to the Fulani ethnic group raided a rival Dogon village in central Mali overnight, killing at least 95 people and burning houses to the ground, local and government officials said yesterday.
Violence between Dogon hunters and Fulani herders has killed hundreds since January, including an attack in March in which gunmen killed more than 150 Fulani, one of the worst acts of bloodshed in Mali’s recent history.
Sunday’s raid took place in the Sangha district, where Fulanis from the neighboring Bankass district descended on a Dogon village after dark, Bankass mayor Moulaye Guindo told Reuters on Monday.
“Armed men, apparently Fulani, fired at the population and burned the village,” said Siriam Kanoute, an official for the nearby town of Bandiagara. Sangha mayor Ali Dolo told Reuters 95 charred bodies had been found so far, but that the death toll was likely to rise as the village was still ablaze.
“On a population of around 300 inhabitants, only 50 responded to the roll call,” said Dolo.
A security ministry spokesman confirmed the attack, but said the assailants had not been identified. The government later vowed to find those responsible.
“The government of Mali presents its deepest condolences to mourning families and assures all measures will be taken to arrest and punish the authors of this carnage,” the communications ministry said in a statement.