Malian separatists claim 19 prisoners

BAMAKO, Mali — Separatist rebels in northern Mali said they are holding 19 soldiers from the national army after recent fighting, further aggravating tensions in the region after nearly a month of heightened violence.

“We captured 19 Malian soldiers during fighting last Friday. In the same fighting, we recorded one injury on our side,” said Moussa Ag Acharatoumane, a spokesman for the Coordination of Azawad Movements, a separatist coalition.

The clash occurred in the town of Tessit, in the northern Gao region.

Col. Diarran Kone, an adviser with Mali’s defense ministry, confirmed Sunday that some soldiers were in rebel custody but would not say how many.

Tuareg rebels took over Mali’s north in 2012 before Islamic extremists hijacked the offensive, prompting a French-led military intervention in 2013 that pushed the extremists from the major cities and towns in the north.

But northern Mali remains insecure, with the latest round of violence dating back to April 27, when separatists say armed groups allied with the military took over the Tuareg-held town of Menaka. The coalition of separatists then launched attacks in central and northern Mali, and the fighting has killed at least 40 people, according to government figures.

On Friday, the Coordination of Azawad Movements said Malian soldiers publicly killed nine residents of the northern village of Tin Hama, located about 25 miles northwest of Menaka.

Upcoming Events