Nobody really knows who unleashed the 15-minute inferno of rockets, bullets and flames on hundreds of passengers, and there is no guarantee that the truth will ever be established.
Islamist armed groups and Malian armed forces have killed and otherwise abused numerous civilians in central and northern Mali since April 2023. Violence has intensified across Mali following the May 2021 coup. The targeted killing of civilians by Islamist armed groups and the Malian army are war crimes. Malian authorities, with international support, should urgently conduct credible and impartial investigations into the alleged abuses, and hold those responsible to account. (Nairobi, November
Regular passengers of the "Tombouctou", a ferry whose route runs along the Niger River in northern Mali, are accustomed to hearing gunfire from the riverbank during their journeys. The blasts that forced passengers to hit the deck that day heralded a deluge of gunfire.