Eyewitnesses report coordinated strikes against civilian targets in the region’s most vulnerable communities.

The Jnim launched simultaneous offensives between 5 and 6 PM local time against three villages in Dimbal commune—Logo, Soulakanda, and Dimbal—and two more in Bankass commune, Ogossagou and Kouroundé. Local defense forces known as dozos, traditional hunters filling security gaps where state presence is thin, engaged the attackers in fierce clashes.

Preliminary tallies indicate at least twenty fatalities, including several dozos and unarmed residents. A prominent dozo leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed outrage at the absence of military intervention during the assaults, adding that no official statement has been issued by Malian security forces despite urgent appeals for clarity.

Communities brace for further violence

Terrified residents have begun streaming into nearby Bankass town, already overwhelmed by prior displacement. Aid workers warn that existing humanitarian resources may be insufficient to meet the needs of this latest wave of displaced persons. Earlier attacks in the same area earlier this month claimed over fifty lives, leaving scars that have yet to heal.

Jnim spokespersons had previously vowed to target villages harboring dozo bases that refuse to comply with local agreements imposed by the armed group, raising fears of additional reprisals.