Undefined Explosive Device (UED) event in Fouta Djallon, Ouakan area, Mali on Fri 5th August 2022

At least 12 civilians died in central Mali after bombs hidden in the bodies of slain civilians that their relatives had come to collect, an elected official and police said Saturday, blaming jihadists. On Friday, "the jihadists first killed two civilians in Ouakan" near Bankass, in central Mali, "before booby-trapping their bodies," an elected official from a nearby town told AFP on condition of anonymity. "When the parents and relatives of those killed came to look for the bodies, there was an explosion and at least ten other people were killed," he added. This version was corroborated by another elected official in the region, who said that "several other civilians are currently missing in Ouakan" without knowing if they are "dead or not". A police source confirmed to AFP "the provisional death toll of around ten civilians". A security device was to be put in place on Saturday "to secure the population". "The jihadists are using more and more criminal methods. They have trapped bodies in Ouakan that exploded afterwards," said this source. On Saturday, several dozen Ouakan residents left their homes to seek refuge in nearby villages, fearing further attacks, according to testimonies gathered by AFP.