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Ethnic Conflicts in Mali Exacerbated by Extremist Presence

Esha Sarai

   DAKAR - An attack that killed at least 35 people in a central Malian
   village on June 9 has been attributed to ethnic violence, but as
   Islamist militants continue to hold parts of Mali and the broader
   region, the distinction between ethnic conflict and jihadist terror is
   becoming blurred.

   Conflicts between ethnic Dogon, traditionally farmers, and Fulani or
   Peulh, semi-nomadic herders, have intensified, although the two groups
   have coexisted for centuries. According to a U.N. report released last
   month, clashes between the two ethnic groups in central Mali were
   "exacerbated by the presence of extremist groups."

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