| Karou and Ouatagouna massacres | |
|---|---|
| Part ofMali War | |
| Location | Karou,Ouattagouna, Daoutegeft, and Dirga,Mali |
| Date | August 8, 2021 |
| Deaths | 51+[1] |
| Perpetrator |  Islamic State in the Greater Sahara |
On August 8, 2021, jihadist militants fromIslamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) launched simultaneous attacks on four villages in centralMali, killing over fifty-one civilians.
Around 6pm local time, over 80 ISGS militants stormed the four towns of Karou,Ouattagouna, Daouetegeft, and Dirga, all within a short distance of each other.[2][3] The militants fired guns while riding on motorbikes, "as most victims were in front of their houses; others going to the mosque" according to local official Oumar Cisse.[4] According to eyewitnesses, ISGS went from house to house, rounding up all of the men and children, only sparing some women.[3] Military officials stated that ISGS fighters massacred everyone, burning down homes and stealing cattle.[5][2] Many of the dead were women and children.[6]
Malian military officials stated the attack was prompted because locals in the town had shared the locations of ISGS to the Malian military following recent humanitarian aid deliveries.[6]
The provisional death toll, according to local officials, was 51 killed.[5] Twenty civilians were killed in Karou, fourteen in Ouattagouna, and an unknown amount in Daoutegeft and Dirga.[5] A representative of localSonghai human rights groupSonghoy Chaawara Batoo claimed that the attack occurred within eighteen kilometers of a Malian military base.[7] Malian officials claimed that after the attacks, they established a heavy security presence in the area.[6] The UN also launched its own investigation into the massacre in late 2021.[3]