UN Charges Jihadi Groups and the Mali Army with Massacres

In a report that outlines previously unreported crimes against civilians, the U.N. said that Mali’s army and terrorist organizations had committed killings and hundreds of other human rights violations.

375 human rights breaches were reported in Mali between July and September, according to the U.N. Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) report, of which 163 were committed by terrorist organizations and 162 by the Malian army.

In addition, 17 were committed by armed groups that participated in a 2015 peace deal in northern Mali, and 33 were carried out by militias.

The report provides new information on several cases of abuse that had previously been difficult to report due to difficulties on the ground.

It claimed that on September 12, a few hours after the army and “foreign military men” had detained them, 14 dead bodies were discovered in the village of Gassel in the Douentza area “with their hands tied behind their backs.”

The U.N. claimed that Bamako rejects military intervention in Gassel.

Five days later, “foreign military soldiers accompanied by traditional hunters” murdered “around fifty persons, of whom 43 were properly recognized” in the central Mali town of Gouni, according to the report.

It also stated that Bamako has opened an inquiry.
The junta that took control of Mali in 2020 frequently asserts that it conducts investigations, but the findings are seldom ever made public.

Human rights organizations and Mali’s allies strongly condemn the reported deployment of mercenaries from the Kremlin-affiliated Wagner outfit, which Bamako has not acknowledged in an official capacity.

The U.N. accuses the army of the violations that happened in central Mali, where the military has been engaged in a sizable operation since the beginning of the year.

In the past, the army has been charged with killing civilians, especially in Moura and Hombori.

The majority of the atrocities ascribed to jihadist organizations—some linked to al-Qaida and others to the Islamic State—took place in the northeast of Mali, where fighting has been ongoing since March.