The United States has strongly condemned a militant attack on a bus in central Mali that killed at least 31 people and wounded 17.
On Friday, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a community bus as it traveled from the village of Songho to a market in Bandiagara, 6 miles (10 km) away.
The villages sit in the heart of the Mopti region, an epicenter of violence in Mali fueled by insurgents linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
State Department spokesman Ned Price in a written statement said “the United States strongly condemns the attack on civilians on Saturday near Bandiagara, Mali, which left 31 dead and 17 injured,”
“We extend our deepest condolences to the Malian people and will continue to partner with them in their pursuit of a safe, prosperous, and democratic future,” Price said.
Terrorist attacks have surged across Africa’s Sahel region, killing thousands and displacing millions across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.