At least eight people, including children, were killed and 20 others injured in a drone strike during a fair in Mali’s northern Timbuktu region, according to a statement made by Tuareg rebels on Tuesday.
The rebel coalition, known as the Permanent Strategic Framework for the Defence of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA), claimed that a Turkish drone carried out several strikes on a local market and civilian homes.
The CSP-DPA blamed Mali’s army and its allies for the attack, although Mali’s armed forces have not yet commented on the incident.
The Tuareg, an ethnic group residing in the Sahara region, including parts of northern Mali, have long fought for an independent homeland.
Their insurgency, which began in 2012, was initially aimed at the Malian government but was later overshadowed by Islamist groups.
Although the Tuareg rebels signed a peace agreement with the Malian government in 2015, CSP-DPA withdrew from the peace process in late 2022. Tensions between the rebels and the government escalated in July when they attacked a convoy of Malian soldiers and Russian Wagner mercenaries, claiming significant casualties.