A massive triple suicide bombing left at least nine dead and more than 60 injured in Mali, Reuters reported Saturday.
The blasts occurred in Sévaré, a town located in the center of the West African nation. Around 20 buildings were left destroyed in the aftermath of the attack, according to Reuters.
Yacouba Maiga, a spokesperson for the regional governor, told the outlet all individuals killed and injured in the attack were civilians. No one has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the explosions.
Sévaré hosts an array of Malian army and United Nations (U.N.) soldiers garrisoned in local military facilities, Reuters reported. (RELATED: African Military Government Overthrown Amid Instability)
At least 9 killed in triple suicide bombing in central Mali https://t.co/SXMre1qGmA pic.twitter.com/ot1XkO1cCm
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The Malian government in a statement televised on Saturday said the country’s military stopped “a terrorist attack” in Sévaré. “Three vehicles filled with explosives were destroyed by army drone fire,” the statement continued, according to Reuters.
The chief of staff to the interim president of Mali perished in an attack days before the triple suicide bombing, the outlet reported.
Mali, like neighboring country Burkina Faso, has been contending with patterns of violent insurgency. The West African country has specifically experienced the rise of militants associated with al-Qaida and Islamic State terrorists since the outbreak of a Tuareg separatist rebellion in 2012, Reuters reported.