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West African: Car Bomb and Extrajudicial Killings

west african: A more assertive response by Mali's security forces has led to accusations of extrajudicial killings, while neighbours turn on each other amid suspicions of joining extremist groups, according to The Chronicle Herald. At least 289 civilians including young children have been killed in communal violence since the beginning of the year, with some burned alive in their homes or killed while hiding in mosques, the United Nations said this month. A branch of al-Qaida even set off a car bomb at the headquarters of a new West African counterterror force late last month, further destabilizing central Mali as extremist groups expand from remote northern regions where they have had strongholds for years. As the July 29 elections approach, insecurity is a major issue for candidates including President Ibrahim Boubacar Ke ta, who seeks a second term. It would be difficult to organize the elections in my commune in Mondoro, near the border between Mali and Burkina Faso, one local official, Deputy Mayor Moulaye Ongoiba, told The Associated Press. Experts warn of a humanitarian crisis as hundreds of schools have closed out of fear of attack. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.