Jihadists Murder Imam Who Refused To Join Them.

Gunmen who allegedly have links to radical Islamic preacher Amadou Koufa killed the Imam of village in central Mali. The Imam reportedly had refused their repeated attempts to recruit him, a local official said.


According to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity, two men have been riding motorbikes that they left on the edge of the village before approaching the Imam’s home on foot. The Imam of Barkerou village, Aladji Sekou, has been shot. The assailants are reportedly familiar with the area.“In recent months, the jihadists have tried without success to get the imam of Barkerou to back their cause,” the official said.

Oumar Sekou, the 63-year-old Iman’s nephew, confirmed his death, claiming that Aladji Sekou had been killed “because, for them, he is their opponent”.


Security sources believe that Koufa is linked with the Macina Liberation Front (FLM), a new group that emerged earlier this year and has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks, some targeting security forces in central Mali.

The FLM draws its support from the Fulani people of central Mali – Koufa is also from there – and is also linked to Ansar Dine (Arabic for “defenders of the faith”). It’s one of the groups that took control of Mali’s vast arid north in April 2012.


According to Washington, Ansar Dine is in its terror blacklist since 2013. It reportedly has close ties to Al-Qaeda.