Mali’s security crisis worsens after drone strike reportedly kills wedding guests
Mali’s military drone strikes killed at least 10 civilians in the central San region on Sunday as villagers prepared for a traditional mass wedding ceremony, according to local residents, security sources and elected officials cited by AFP.
Black News 
![Malian junta, Assimi Goïta. [X, formerly Twitter]](https://ocdn.eu/pulscms/MDA_/3ee3480a0b8b3da70b4ce1b297574370.jpg)
Mali’s military drone strikes killed at least 10 civilians in the central San region on Sunday as villagers prepared for a traditional mass wedding ceremony, according to local residents, security sources and elected officials cited by AFP.
- At least 10 civilians were reportedly killed in a Malian military drone strike in the central San region.
- The victims were preparing for a traditional collective wedding ceremony in the locality of Tene.
- The attack comes as Mali’s junta faces intensified assaults from jihadist and separatist groups.
- The incident highlights the worsening humanitarian and security crisis unfolding across the Sahel.
The attack took place in the locality of Tene, against the backdrop of a worsening security crisis that has intensified pressure on Mali’s ruling military junta following coordinated assaults by jihadist and separatist groups last month.
A resident told AFP that “10 of our children” were killed in the strikes, adding that what “was supposed to be a moment of joy in the village turned into immense sorrow”.
A security source said the victims had been preparing for the second edition of a collective wedding ceremony, described as a significant cultural event for the community.
“The tragedy occurred as the villagers were preparing the second edition of this traditional collective wedding,” the source told AFP, adding that the drones appeared to target “a procession of motorbikes following one another”.
A local elected official also confirmed the deaths, saying at least 10 civilians had been killed shortly before the wedding was due to begin.
The incident comes as Mali faces one of its most serious security crises in years. Since April, the al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, known as JNIM, has reportedly coordinated attacks with Tuareg separatists from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) against military positions controlled by the junta.
Large-scale offensives on April 25 and 26 targeted strategic towns and reportedly killed Mali’s defence minister. Northern towns, including Kidal, have since fallen under the control of separatist and jihadist groups, according to local sources, while Bamako is facing increasing security pressure.
Mali has struggled with armed violence since 2012, fuelled by Islamist insurgencies, separatist rebellions and organised criminal networks operating across the Sahel region.
