Diabaly
| Diabaly | |
|---|---|
| Commune and town | |
 Diabaly
|
|
| Coordinates: 14°41′N 6°1′W / 14.683°N 6.017°WCoordinates: 14°41′N 6°1′W / 14.683°N 6.017°W | |
| Country |
 Mali
|
| Region | Ségou Region |
| Cercle | Niono Cercle |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,538 km2 (594 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 273 m (896 ft) |
| Population (2009 census) | |
| • Total | 35,266 |
| • Density | 23/km2 (59/sq mi) |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC+0) |
Diabaly (pronunciation: /ˌdʒəbəli/) is a small town and rural commune in the Cercle of Niono in the Ségou Region of Mali. The commune has an area of approximately 1,538 square kilometres (594 sq mi) and includes 28 villages as well as the town. In the 2009 census the commune had a population of 35,266. The town lies 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Niono on the west side of the Fala de Molodo channel that forms part of the Office du Niger irrigation scheme. The fields around the town are irrigated but much of the commune lies to the east of the Fala de Molodo in an area that lacks irrigation.
On 8 September 2012, during the Northern Mali conflict, a group of Malian army soldiers arrested 17 Islamic preachers coming from Mauritania at a checkpoint near the village. The 17 men were suspected to be Islamist militants and 16 of them were executed. Opposition military forces occupied Diabaly for a week starting from 14 January 2013.
Events related to the Northern Mali conflict occurred in Diabaly in September 2012 and January 2013.
On the evening of 8 September 2012, 17 unarmed Dawa Tablighi preachers from Mauritania arrived in Dogofry, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Diabaly, in a Toyota minibus, on their way to a religious conference in Bamako. A group of Malian army soldiers arrested the preachers and executed all but one of them.
Associated Press attributed responsibility for the executions to "rank-and-file soldiers [who] carried out the massacre of their own accord, ignoring not only the normal rules of engagement but also their own command structure." The government of Mali published an announcement "expressing deep condolences, but stopping short of taking responsibility for the deaths."
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