Mali attacks: Protests held against jihadist violence

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A demonstrator hold up a sign: "We want to study"Image source, AFP

Tens of thousands of people have staged a protest in the Malian capital, Bamako, against rising ethnic and jihadist violence.

The protest was called by Muslim leaders, groups representing ethnic Fulani herders and opposition parties.

Last month more than 150 people were killed in an attack on a village in central Mali targeting the Fulani community.

Protests in Bamako, 5 AprilImage source, AFP

Clashes between Dogon hunters and semi-nomadic Fulani herders can occur over access to land and water.

The Dogon also accuse Fulanis of ties to jihadist groups while the Fulanis claim that Mali's military has given arms to hunters to attack them.

People take part in a rally to protest against the failure of the government and international peacekeepers to stem rising ethnic and jihadist violence in Bamako, Mali 5 AprilImage source, Reuters

Many demonstrators held signs calling on President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita - also known as IBK- to step down.

Women protest against ethnic and jihadist violence - Bamako, Mali 5 April 2019Image source, Reuters

An influential imam Mahmoud Dicko told the crowd: "My Fulani brothers, revenge is not the solution; my Dogon brothers, you must lay down your weapons."

A Malian protester holds a sign depicting the French flag and reading "Death to France and its allies", Bamako, 5 AprilImage source, AFP

Some demonstrators expressed their anger against France. Operation Barkhane, a French anti-jihadist regional force, operates in Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

Police later dispersed the crowd.

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita inspects the damage after an attack by gunmen on Fulani herders in Ogossagou, Mali 25 March 2019Image source, Reuters
Image caption,

Last month President Keita visited the site of the attack on the village of Ogossagou

In 2012, Islamist extremists seized the country's north, prompting an intervention by French troops.

The militants were driven from cities but have exploited ethnic rivalries in parts of Mali. Jihadist violence has also spread to its neighbours.

Mali country profile