Drone strikes kill civilians in central Mali ahead of wedding

Sunday’s drone strikes conducted by the Malian army in central Mali left at least ten civilians dead, most of them young men, as they gathered for a traditional mass wedding celebration. The tragic incident occurred in the village of Téné, located in the San region.

This devastating attack unfolds amid a deeply troubled security climate in the country, following large-scale coordinated assaults on April 25 and 26. These attacks were carried out by jihadist factions, including the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, alongside predominantly Tuareg rebels from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).