Dozens Killed in Attacks on Central Mali Villages; JNIM Claims Responsibility

Armed fighters killed at least 30 people in near-simultaneous attacks on the villages of Korikori and Gomossogou in central Mali on 6 May 2026, according to local, security and administrative sources cited by AFP. France 24 reported more than 30 people died in the strikes while a youth official gave a toll of at least 35.

The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) claimed responsibility for the assaults. Provisional figures from WAMAPS placed the overall death toll above 50 with several people still missing.

The villages were looted and some properties set on fire. A security source told AFP the attacks were carried out in retaliation for acts committed by the Dan Nan Ambassagou militia. The victims were mostly militiamen but also included teenagers and children.

The governor of the Bandiagara region condemned the “despicable and inhumane acts” in the strongest possible terms. On 7 May 2026 the Malian army announced it had conducted a targeted operation against terrorist armed groups in the area and said around a dozen fighters were neutralised.

The 6 May attacks occurred on the same day that armed fighters stormed the Kenieroba Central Prison, located about 60 km southwest of Bamako. The facility holds 2,500 prisoners including at least 72 inmates considered high value by the Malian state.

Several opposition figures and military personnel have been detained or abducted following the large-scale attacks on the junta, according to security, legal and family sources.

The military prosecutor’s office stated last week that it possessed solid evidence of the complicity of certain members of the military in the planning, coordination and execution of the attacks. Army commander Djibrilla Maiga said fighters were attempting to reorganise after the April attacks and that Malian forces have neutralised several hundred terrorists since 25 April 2026.

On 25 and 26 April 2026, JNIM and the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) launched coordinated assaults on strategic towns including Kidal and Kati. Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed by a car bomb at his residence. Kidal and other northern towns and villages are now under the control of the FLA and the jihadists, who have imposed a blockade on Bamako.

On 30 April 2026 JNIM called for a common front to end the junta and usher in a peaceful and inclusive transition.

Dan Nan Ambassagou has refused an order to disband issued by the authorities. The authorities have accused the militia of carrying out a massacre in the central village of Ogossagou that left 160 dead. Ogossagou was also the scene of a February 2020 raid that killed some 30 Fulanis.

More than 130 civilians were killed in Diallassagou in June 2022 in attacks attributed to JNIM. The UN has accused the Malian army and allied foreign fighters of executing at least 500 people in Moura in March 2022. Mali has been ruled by the military since back-to-back coups in 2020.