More than 110 civilians have been held for six days by suspected "terrorists" in central Mali, local sources said on Monday.
These civilians were detained on April 16 aboard three buses by "terrorists" who forced the vehicles and their passengers to head towards a forest between the towns of Bandiagara and Bankass (central Mali), according to a grouping of associations in the region and a local official.
"We demand the release of more than 110 passengers from three buses abducted by jihadists on Tuesday," said Oumar Ongoïba, a member of this grouping, quoted by the media.
"The three buses and the passengers, more than 120, are still in the hands of the jihadists," said an official from Bandiagara.
Since 2012, Mali has faced a terrorist expansion creating a deep security, political, economic, and humanitarian crisis.