Suspected jihadists massacred 51 civilians in northern Mali and killed 12 soldiers in an ambush in neighbouring Burkina Faso, the authorities announced on Monday, pointing to the security crisis affecting the two fragile states.
"Terrorists" entered the villages of Karou, Ouatagouna and Daoutegeft near the Mali-Niger border on Sunday, a military official said. "(They) massacred everyone," said the source on condition of anonymity.
A document from the local prefecture states that 51 people were killed, houses ransacked and cattle stolen in the attacks. The attackers arrived on a motorcycle and surprised the villagers, a local official said. An official from a fourth village said that their location had also been attacked.