Two people have been killed and five others injured in Timbuktu, a historic city in northern Mali, as shells were fired, with the military attributing the attack to “terrorists.” Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has faced recent sieges by jihadists, resulting in severe food shortages. While French forces ousted Islamist and Tuareg fighters who captured the city in 2012, jihadists have continued to launch attacks from the Sahara Desert. Mali’s military took power in 2020, citing the government’s inability to provide security in the face of insurgency. Despite promises to end militant attacks, recent months have seen an increase in violence, including a deadly ambush on a river boat and attacks on military camps. Additionally, ethnic Tuareg rebels have captured bases, opposing the military’s control of vacated UN troop bases and accusing the junta of breaking the 2015 Algiers peace agreement. Islamist insurgents have also spread to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, causing instability and military takeovers in these countries as well.
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