Worst Jihadist Attack in Years Stokes Anger Over Mali’s Response
- Militant raid that killed 38 troops triggers widespread anger
- Protests in March forced Mali’s prime minister to resign
People protest for security and peace in central Mali on Sept. 13.
Photographer: Michele Cattani/AFP via Getty Images
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One of the deadliest militant attacks in the seven-year Islamist insurgency in Mali has stoked fresh anger over the government’s failure to halt jihadist raids, months after protests forced the prime minister to resign.
The Sahel region, the arid band on the southern fringe of the Sahara Desert, is experiencing unprecedented levels of violence as Islamist militants seek to extend their influence across West Africa. Terrorist threats are spreading in Burkina Faso and to border areas with Benin, Ghana and Togo to the south, according to the United Nations.