Thousands rally in Mali to hold protests against jihadist violence

Tens of thousands of people have staged a protest in the Malian capital, Bamako, against rising ethnic and jihadist violence.

The demonstration on Friday was called for by Muslim religious leaders, opposition parties and civil society groups, including organizations representing the majority-Muslim Fulani herding community.

Organizers said 15,000 people were part of the march and a mass prayer ceremony, which came nearly two weeks after last month's massacre of at least 153 people in the Fulani village of Ogossagou, near the town of Mopti in central Mali.

Police put the number of demonstrators at 10,000.

Clashes between Dogon hunters and semi-nomadic Fulani herders can occur over access to land and water.

The Dogon also accuse Fulanis of ties to jihadist groups while the Fulanis claim that Mali's military has given arms to hunters to attack them.

The killings in Ogossagou, which left the charred bodies of women and children smoldering in their homes, shocked a population that has grown increasingly frustrated by the failure of government forces to protect them from both armed groups onslaughts and ethnic reprisals.

The March 23 massacre was allegedly carried out by members of the Dogon ethnic group - a hunting and farming community with a long history of tension with the nomadic Fulani over access to land.

Keita, also known by his initials IBK, responded to the attack on the Fulani villagers by sacking and replacing two generals and disbanding a vigilante group, whose fighters are suspected of being behind the killings.

Many demonstrators held signs calling on President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to step down.

An influential imam Mahmoud Dicko told the crowd: "My Fulani brothers, revenge is not the solution; my Dogon brothers, you must lay down your weapons."

Some demonstrators expressed their anger against France. Operation Barkhane, a French anti-jihadist regional force, operates in Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

Police later dispersed the crowd.

In 2012, Islamist extremists seized the country's north, prompting an intervention by French troops.

The militants were driven from cities but have exploited ethnic rivalries in parts of Mali. Jihadist violence has also spread to its neighbors.