KAYES, Mali – Latest report by Human Rights Watch has revealed at least 12 truck drivers were killed in the west of Mali following an attack that authorities have linked to an armed group with ties to al-Qaeda.
Ten long-haul truck drivers and two young apprentices had been driving within a fuel convoy in Mali’s Kayes region, which borders with Senegal when they came under attack.
Investigators say that up to forty fuel trucks were traveling together when they were ambushed by what authorities believed were operatives from the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). JNIM is a militant group with ties to al-Qaeda operating throughout the Sahel.
According to investigators, after stopping the convoy, the attackers removed drivers from their trucks and proceeded to execute them. Several vehicles were also torched in the attack, evidence from which was compiled by way of videos and testimony from survivors.
Human Rights Watch has deemed the massacre a possible war crime with the report suggesting that all those murdered were civilians and had been undertaking legitimate commercial transportation.
While the killings have been stated to have occurred in late January, this latest information has only become available following further investigation of video evidence from the scene as well as testimony from survivors and other witnesses.
The Sahel region encompassing both Mali and surrounding countries such as Burkina Faso and Niger, has been afflicted with increasing amounts of armed conflict from Islamist groups over the past decade with groups linked to both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State engaging in the targeting of civilians, security forces and transportation routes.
The JNIM has currently become one of the most dominant armed groups in the region and actively has combatants present in the rural parts of Mali and across major highways utilized for both trade and the transportation of fuel.
The use of transportation convoys has become increasingly common by these organizations due to their importance in delivering food, fuel, and many other supplies across significant portions of West Africa.
