Sub-Saharan Africa
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Locals in Mali Reportedly Demand Release of Over 110 People Abducted Last Week

Last week, a group of men suspected to be jihadists intercepted three buses carrying civilians in the central region of Mali and forced them into a forest between the towns of Bandiagara and Bankass, according to the AFP news agency.
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A group of local associations and an official in Mali are demanding the immediate release of the more than 110 kidnapped people, the media reported on Monday.

"We demand the release of more than 110 passengers of three buses abducted on Tuesday by jihadists," a member of the group, Oumar Ongoiba, said, as cited by the AFP.

Furthermore, an anonymous elected official from Bandiagara said that the buses and the people are still being held captive, the media revealed.
Since 2012, Mali has experienced persistent conflict between various factions associated with Al-Qaeda* and the Daesh* terrorist organizations. Violence also affected the neighboring countries of Burkina Faso and Niger.
In order to fight terrorism even more effectively, the three states, which are part of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), met in Niger in early March to draw up the outlines of a joint force to fight terrorism.
A month later, the AES conducted its first joint operation in mid-April, demonstrating a proactive approach to tackling the security challenges plaguing the Sahel region.
* Terrorist organizations outlawed in Russia and many other states.