Trap trapped in kills 17 people in Mali funeral blast



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The corpse of a man kidnapped by jihadists last week exploded in Mali, killing 17 people.

Officials have discovered an abandoned body in shrubs in Gondogourou, a rural area near the town of Koro, on the country's border with Burkina Faso, on Tuesday.

It is understood that the relatives buried the remains later that day, when the corpse, which had been equipped with an improvised device, exploded.

Seventeen people were believed to have died in the blast – about half of those at the funeral – while others were injured.

"They dug the grave. It was time to slide the body in which it exploded, "Oumar Guindo, a resident of Gondogourou, told the Malian newspaper. Newspapers North-South.

"At that time, 17 people died and three others were injured."

According to local reports, the remains were from Boukary Guindo, a 40-year-old man kidnapped by an extremist group last week.

"He is a young man who went to get grass in the forest," said Youssouf Aya, a representative of Koro's national assembly. North South, "He was shot dead by unidentified gunmen."

The United Nations has warned this year about the escalation of violence in central Mali, fueled by decades-long land and livestock disputes and exacerbated by the activities of extremist armed groups.

On New Year's Day, at least 37 civilians were killed in an attack on a village near Bankass, about 30 miles from Koro.

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Violence involving self-defense militias and armed groups has been taking place in Mali since 2012, when extremists took control of the north of the country.

French forces, at the request of the government of Mali, intervened in the conflict and forced the insurgents to retreat, although jihadist groups remained in the northern and central regions.


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