Twenty-one civilians killed in Mali drone strikes: Separatist group
Al JazeeraAug 24
At Least 21 Killed in Mali Drone Strike
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Above: A group of Tuareg of the desert are the armed escort that accompanies a group of foreigners from the Mauritanian border to Timbuktu on January 17, 2010 in Timbuktu region, Mali. Image copyright: Andrea Borgarello/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Rebel groups have claimed that drone strikes on Sunday killed at least 21 people in the northern Mali town of Tinzaouaten. The statement comes from the Strategic Framework for the Defence of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA), a rebel coalition.
The death toll includes 11 children, the coalition says, with the strikes reportedly hitting a pharmacy and a group of people. Tinzaouaten was hit by airstrikes in July of this year by government forces, in retaliation for the killing of government troops and Wagner mercenary fighters.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
This was a cowardly attack on a civilian population from an illegitimate military junta and their allies. Far from being an internal conflict, Mali has suffered under the pernicious influence of Russian mercenaries that prop up dictators and give them proxies they can use to evade sanctions. Russia is further destabilizing African countries, and the state of affairs would be much improved without their presence.
Establishment-critical narrative
This was retaliation for a brutal attack against combatants, and we must be skeptical of rebel reports. Now, the West that failed to protect African nations from terrorism is lecturing them for taking action against it. This is due to the fact that Russia has become a fitting partner to actually deal with the security challenges Mali faces. Their spurning of Mali shows that the West's operations were about control, not counterterrorism.
