Malian army regains central town from militants
The Malian army has managed to retake control of the central town of Boni from militants, officials say.
They “left Boni in the night and today around 8 a.m. the Malian army came back to take control of the town,” an unnamed Malian security source told AFP on Saturday.
Meanwhile, another source, close to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, said two helicopters were providing cover over Boni “to support the Malian army, who are now in control.”
Unidentified militants invaded Boni on Friday and forced the few troops stationed there to withdraw from the town. According to witnesses, the militants were shooting in all directions, particularly on administrative buildings, and set ablaze the mayor's office.
Reports also say the militants left the town while abducting a Boni community official accused of giving information to security forces by phone.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Armed groups have proliferated in the African country ever since al-Qaeda's North African affiliate AQIM took advantage of a revolt staged by ethnic Tuareg rebels in 2012 to seize the north of the desert country, a region which they call Azawad.
The long-troubled north has been susceptible to militant attacks despite an ongoing French-led military operation launched in January 2013, which came after the deployment of MINUSMA.
Tuareg-led rebels signed a landmark peace deal with the government in June 2015. However, the peace accord has been ineffective as rebel groups and other militants continue to launch sporadic attacks against security forces from desert hideouts.
MINUSMA currently has nearly 13,300 military personnel in the country, according to figures by the UN.
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