“The Malian Red Cross condemns with the utmost firmness this incident, which undermines the humanitarian mission aimed at vulnerable populations,” the aid group said in a statement announcing the deaths.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility though jihadis are known to operate in the vicinity.
Mali has been battling an Islamic insurgency for a decade now, and much of the country has long been considered off-limits to Westerners for security reasons. While the Kayes region has been less risky than Mali’s north, there have been growing reports of extremism spreading in the area linked to a group known as Katiba Macina.
Concerns about security in Mali have only deepened since former colonizer France announced earlier this year it is withdrawing its troops from the country after nine years of helping to fight extremists there. The country’s military is still being aided by a large U.N. peacekeeping mission that comes under frequent attack from militants.
Mali is headed by Col. Assimi Goita, who led a 2020 coup that overthrew the country’s democratically elected president. He drew further international condemnation when nine months later, he ousted the country’s civilian transitional leaders and had himself sworn in as president.
