Religious, ethnic violence escalates in Mali

A raid on a village in central Mali on Monday left at least 95 people dead in the country’s latest bout of violence linked to Islamic extremists. Gunmen began shooting, pillaging, and burning the Dogon village of Sobame Da in the early morning hours, local news outlets reported. Ali Dolo, the mayor of the district, told Reuters the death toll could still rise because only 50 of the village’s 300 residents responded to a roll call.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but unrest peaked this year between the Dogon hunters and the Muslim Peuhl Fulani herders. In March, suspected Dogons killed more than 150 people in Fulani villages in the country’s deadliest attack yet. Some Peuhl leaders had vowed to carry out retaliatory attacks for the killings in March. Members of the Dogon group accuse the Peuhl of supporting jihad, while the Peuhl say the Dogon support the Malian army’s attacks on them.