A rights group claimed that 40 civilians were killed in three operations by the ruling junta of Mali by its soldiers and Russian mercenaries, but the junta dismissed the claims as “unfounded” on Monday.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, which was released last week, according to the foreign ministry in Bamako, took a “sensationalist and biassed approach” and placed the country’s army “on the same level as the armed Islamist groups.”
“Unfounded allegations, gratuitous affirmations, testimonials taken from a distance and slanted, erroneous conclusions” were among the things the ministry cited.
Without identifying it, it also reiterated its denial of collaboration with the Wagner paramilitary group in Russia.
According to HRW, between April and September, Islamist armed groups and Malian army killed at least 175 people, many of them were children. HRW denounces the deliberate killing of civilians as a crime against humanity.
At least 135 civilians lost their lives in two strikes carried out by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Support Group for Islam and Muslims, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch.
It stated that in three raids between April and September, 40 civilians were slain by Mali soldiers and fighters who appeared to be from Wagner.
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Following the withdrawal of French forces from Mali in 2022, Wagner forged an alliance with the leaders of the junta in Bamako.
Forty people were interviewed over the phone in August and September for the HRW report.
Mali has been under a military junta since 2020, and since 2012, it has been engulfed in a complex, multifaceted crisis in the grasp of jihadism.
“The Malian government has failed to take adequate measures to protect civilians in conflict affected areas,” stated Human Rights Watch. “The targeted killing of civilians by Islamist armed groups and the Malian army are war crimes that should be thoroughly and impartially investigated.”
The army has been accused of violating human rights several times by human rights organisations and the United Nations peacekeeping operation MINUSMA [Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation operation in Mali].
“The Malian Armed Forces carry out their role with strict respect for the rights of man and international humanitarian law,” said the ministry.
The authorities claim to keep an eye on observance of human rights and to conduct investigations as needed, but they never make the findings public.
