Attack by Islamic State-affiliated group in Mali kills 48

A weekend attack by militants affiliated to the Islamic State group killed 48 people in the Menaka region of eastern Mali, a lawmaker told the Associated Press on Tuesday (October 20, 2026).

Fighters from Islamic State in Sahel Province, or ISSP, attacked on Sunday (October 18) night into Monday (October 19) morning, and casualties included children and the elderly, Moussa Ag Acharatoumane, a Tuareg leader and member of the National Transitional Council, said.

According to Moussa Ag Acharatoumane, the armed group attacked civilians, accusing them of revealing ISSP positions to the Malian army who had been conducting a drone strike on the group.

ISSP operates mostly in the Ménaka region, where it faces stiff competition from another militant group, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), and across Burkina Faso and Niger.