BAMAKO, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 72 people were killed in Mali by explosive devices between January and August in 2022, said a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) released Monday in Bamako, capital of Mali.
According to the United Nations Mine Action Service, cited in the report, 239 civilian victims, including 72 killed and 167 wounded, were recorded as of Aug. 31, compared to 400 victims -- 103 killed and 297 injured -- in 2021.
"The number of mine-related incidents recorded since the beginning of this year is estimated at 134, against 245 in 2021," the report said, adding that "the explosive threat" remains primarily in the central part of the country. The Mopti Region remains the most affected by hand-made mines, with 37 percent of cases recorded between January and August.
This year, partners in the Humanitarian Mine Action Task Force have planned support for 823,000 people with a budget of 3.4 million U.S. dollars, as part of its ongoing Humanitarian Response Plan.
Mali has been facing security, political and economic crises since 2012, with insurgencies, jihadist incursions, and inter-community violence having killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands of others in the West African country. ■