20th December, 2015
Three men were killed when an unidentified gunman opened fire outside a Christian radio station in Mali on 17th December.
Two of the men worked for the station; the third was a friend visiting the station.
The motive for the attack on Radio Tahanint in Timbuktu is unknown, but witnesses described the gunman as a turbaned Tuareg. One local source said gunfire could still be heard after the event.
Radio Tahanint, which means “mercy” in the local dialect, had just finished broadcasting for the day, when the trio were shot outside the building. The radio station is closely linked with a local Baptist Church and evangelical mission.
Dr Mohamed-Ibrahim Yattara, president of the Baptist Church in Mali, told World Watch Monitor Christians were “shocked to see what happened”.
“We are trying to find out what happened, but for now we don’t have any explanation,” he said. “It’s a Christian radio station that was broadcasting messages of peace lately. One of the young men who was shot last night, he had just finished broadcasting and his last words were about peace.”
Dr Yattara added that “insecurity is everywhere in Mali, the situation is very frail, but we didn’t see a particular threat to the community”.
Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, there has been an upsurge in jihadist attacks in Mali, including the recent incident at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako on 20th November, when 22 people were killed.
Christians, a minority in Mali, have paid a heavy price since jihadists took over northern Mali in 2012. For most of the year, armed Islamist groups ruled the region, banning the practice of other religions and desecrating and looting churches and other places of worship. Thousands, including many Christians, fled and found refuge in the south, or in neighbouring countries such as Niger and Burkina Faso.
The government of Mali and the predominantly Tuareg rebel groups have now signed a peace agreement, but with limited impact. Moreover, jihadist groups have regained ground and intensified attacks.
