Local partners of Swiss aid agency killed in Mali attacks

The violence took place in the Mopti region of Cental Mali. Keystone / Rebecca Blackwell

Employees of a local Malian partner of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation are among the victims of attacks that claimed at least 40 lives.

The tit-for-tat violence between ethnic groups in central Mali on June 17 and 18 was condemned by the Swiss government on Wednesday. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs also expressed its condolences to the kin of the victims without stating the name of the NGO partner affected. The SDC works with several local partners in Mali such as Centre international d’expertises et de formation (CIEF), Formation Sans Frontières, Mali Red Cross and Kéné Conseils.

“Switzerland expresses extreme concern at the cycle of violence that is taking hold in central Mali. It calls on the government to redouble its efforts to protect the population, to fight impunity and to put an end to the escalation of attacks and counter-attacks, in particular by reinforcing the search for peaceful solutions,” said a government statement.