Armed men launched a coordinated strike against five settlements close to the town of Bandiagara late Saturday afternoon, leaving nearly two dozen people dead. The assault targeted Logo, Soulakanda and Dimbal in Dimbal district, as well as Ogossagou and Kouroundé in Bankass district.

Fierce exchanges erupted between the assailants and local Dozo hunters, who often fill security gaps left by the national army in remote regions. According to community leaders, civil society representatives and Dozo commanders, at least twenty people perished in the violence, including both traditional hunters and unarmed civilians.

One Dozo leader expressed outrage over the army’s failure to intervene during the onslaught, noting that no official statement has been issued about the incident. Military authorities did not respond to requests for comment.

Growing anxiety over fresh assaults

Hundreds of residents fled their homes in the aftermath, seeking shelter in nearby towns such as Bankass, where camps for internally displaced persons are already stretched to capacity. Aid workers warn that the new influx will further strain already limited resources. Earlier attacks in the same area earlier this month claimed more than fifty lives.

A spokesperson for the militant group responsible warned shortly afterward that villages hosting Dozo bases would remain prime targets unless local truces with the jihadists were observed.