Mali extends state of emergency amid spate of militant attacks

Malian officials on Wednesday extended the country’s state of emergency after a spate of militant attacks, including a Tuesday ambush that left 17 soldiers dead. The resurgent violence has the country on edge, and aid agencies complain the conflict is hindering humanitarian efforts.

Mali declared a state of emergency in November and extended it for another three months in April. The latest extension will last for another 10 days, the council of ministers said.

“Despite the actions of the state, the terrorist threat persists, as is evidenced by the recent attacks against the armed and security forces of Mali,” the council said in a written statement.

Gunmen on Tuesday killed 17 soldiers and wounded 35 others in a raid on an army camp in central Mali. Two militant groups—the al-Qaeda-linked Macina Liberation Front and the pro-Fulani National Alliance for the Protection of the Peul Identity and the Restoration of Justice—claimed responsibility.

“The attack is worrying and unusual because there was cooperation between several armed groups that previously has mostly operated separately and in different regions,” said Paul Melly, an associate fellow with the U.K.-based Chatham House Africa Program.

Malian officials declared a three-day mourning period for the murdered soldiers. The recent attack highlights the unrest across the country. Military officials told Reuters some militants also attacked and burned down the town hall in the village of Gatiloumou in the Mopti region. In November, militants staged a high-profile attack on a hotel in Bamako, the country’s capital, killing 20 people.

Mali’s conflict began in 2012 when clashes erupted between separatist and Islamic militant groups. A French-led military intervention succeeded in chasing the groups from the main cities in 2013. Despite the presence of some 11,000 U.N. peacekeepers and a peace deal signed last year, the country still remains split among rival armed militant groups.

“Violence does seem to be gathering pace,” Melly said. “Few Malians support the groups committing violent attacks, but the attacks seriously jeopardize the efforts to restore order and public services.”

Aid agencies working in Mali confirmed the attacks are hindering their humanitarian efforts. Some 500,000 people in conflict-hit regions are in dire need of food, and nearly 635,000 people don’t have access to clean water in the northern and central areas affected by the conflict. Ongoing fighting puts both the lives of the aid workers and their mission at risk.

“Aid agencies are not necessarily targeted, but criminality prevails in some areas where they are acting,” Anouk Desgroseilliers, public information officer for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told the Thomas Reuters Foundation. “This is restricting access and having an impact on the delivery of humanitarian assistance in the region.”