Malian Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga has called the accusations against Mali over the Moura massacre a “conspiracy”.
Meeting with members of the Tabital Pulaaku Association, the largest Fulani cultural association in Mali, on April 6, the Prime Minister evoked to the Moura massacre saying: “We are facing a situation where, having failed to make us bend our backs, some of our partners have decided to change their tune in order to discredit the action of the government and the armed and security forces. This is based on facts that often resemble the truth,” the leader said in remarks reported by the Malian newspaper l’Aube.
He went on to say: “For a few days now, there has been a campaign against the Malian army and against the government, following what happened in Moura. What actually happened in Moura?.. Today, the army has extensive observation resources. It is with these means that we were able to neutralize the nests of terrorists who were based in the Ouagadou Forest near the Mauritanian border.
According to Choguel Maiga, the army is now well equipped to deal with the jihadist threat. This is reflected in good results on the ground, he said. “The pressure of the army is very strong! There is also a lot of pressure on the FAMas. We are losing men every day… In Moura, the observation allowed the army to spot enemy movements for days… Added to this is human intelligence. We realized that there was a grouping of different terrorist movements in the area. Those who are from the area know well what is happening in Moura: it is a real stronghold for terrorist groups.
Choguel Maiga said he was surprised that in the aftermath of this operation, the international media and international NGOs claimed that the army had gone to massacre civilians, mainly Peulhs. “In their calculation, the best way for Mali to lose the war against terrorism is to have the people against the army,” he added.
According to the Malian Prime Minister, who gave the details of this operation “thanks to the means deployed, for several days, we were able to observe a group of 50 people, 100 people, even up to a thousand people. And the same means of observation and intelligence have also made it possible to understand that this gathering of terrorists in Moura was intended to stop and plan future actions against the army,” reveals Choguel Maiga, who adds that “this is how the army intervened. And indeed, about 200 terrorists were neutralized, plus the operations of the Special Forces continued,” he stressed.
CD/fss/abj/APA