A ship belonging to the Malian Shipping Company (Comanav) was attacked on Thursday at 10 pm between Tawana and Tiékelendougou, near Kouakourou in central Mali.
“They are five and have been there since last night”, says a local source at the bedside of the wounded. Last night, a Comanav ship from Mopti was the target of “many heavy gunshots”. “The assailants stopped on both banks and began to open fire on the boat, on both sides”, says our source.
The shootings continue against the ship until the outskirts of Kouakourou where the presence of the Malian army since several days, deterred the assailants. The boat came to dock just in this village where a strong terrorist presence pushed the authorities to deploy some elements of the army.
There were at least five injuries on the scene. “There is a nurse among the military and a caregiver who took care of them”, says a former local elected official. According to him, three of the five wounded are in a critical condition: one who has been hit in the abdomen and two in the skull.
Currently, the five wounded are still aboard the ship where “there is better temperature” and under the impotent gaze of the populations. The inhabitants are looking for ways to evacuate them on Mopti. But for the moment, it’s mission impossible.
“We are besieged. Our boats have not been able to travel to Mopti for several weeks”, adds the former mayor. And the soldiers on the ground, too, claim they cannot “reduce their troops by one iota” in the face of the threat in the area.
“Meanwhile, they are abandoned on the banks of the river”, adds another local source.
Aboubacar Dicko