An extremist group and ethnic militias committed atrocities in Mali, Human Rights Watch says

By BABA AHMED
Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Human Rights Watch says an extremist group linked to al-Qaida carried out mass killings in two villages in central Mali in January. The watchdog said in a report that the group known as JNIM killed at least 32 people, including three children, during attacks on Jan. 27 on the villages of Ogota and Ouémbé, and set fire to over 350 homes. The report quoted villagers who described the carnage as ethnically motivated. Mali, along with its neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has battled an insurgency by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.