Mali forces destroy explosives abandoned by rebels

The Malian forces and their allies on Sunday destroyed explosives abandoned by fighters of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) in Bentia, 50 km from Ansongo town in Mali’s northeast region of Gao.

“On Monday last week, MUJAO fighters destroyed parts of Bentia bridge using dynamites. But some dynamites did not explode, hence Sunday’s decision by the army and its allies to destroy them,” a resident of Ansongo said.

The first team of the bomb disposal unit had come to Bentia, but had not succeeded in destroying the explosives.

MUJAO is one of the rebel groups occupying northern Mali between late March 2012 and January 2013. Remnants of the group remain a threat despite the comeback of the Malian army with international support.