Where state is weak, Mali militants broker talks between rival clans

FILE PHOTO: A dead animal is seen amidst the damage at the site of an attack on the Dogon village of Sobane Da, Mali June 11, 2019. REUTERS/Malick Konate

DAKAR (Reuters) - A few weeks before military officers overthrew Mali's government in a bloodless coup, a series of meetings in the remote centre of the country underscored how much the state's grip on power had loosened.

Video of one gathering in the rural commune of Sangha shows leaders from the rival Dogon and Fulani communities, whose militias have slaughtered hundreds of civilians in tit-for-tat attacks this year, sitting down together and making peace.