Status: 07.04.2022 2:31 p.m
Following reports of mass executions of civilians in Mali, the country’s judiciary has launched an investigation. Human Rights Watch speaks of up to 300 dead and the “worst atrocity” in years.
After the murder of hundreds of people in Mali, the authorities have announced investigations. The British BBC reported that the military is investigating suspected massacres by the army and its allied fighters.
Prosecutors at the military court in the city of Mopti said the Ministry of Defense had ordered “in-depth investigations” into reports of mass executions of civilians “to fully shed light on these allegations”. The prosecutor will soon get an idea with investigators and a forensic doctor on site, it said.
300 dead civilians in the city of Moura
According to human rights organizations, 300 civilians were killed in the city of Moura at the end of March, including some suspected jihadists. The international community, including the federal government, had called for an independent investigation.
The United Nations launched its own investigation. Experts from the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) would travel to the crime scenes “as soon as possible”, said UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric. However, this depends on the goodwill of the Malian authorities.
HRW: “Worst atrocity” in years
According to a report by the human rights organization Human Rights Watch, Russian fighters were also involved in the massacre. Human Rights Watch called it the “worst atrocity” in the conflict that has been going on for years.
According to this, hundreds of men, including residents of the town of Moura and traders, were detained by the armed forces. Over a period of several days, the Malian soldiers and their allied security forces repeatedly executed groups of up to ten people.
The Malian military government previously said it had killed 200 Islamists in an anti-terrorist campaign. Military personnel interviewed by Human Rights Watch said they “neutralized” jihadists during a large-scale operation.
Reports on Russian mercenaries
Since a coup and an uprising by armed groups that occupied parts of the country in 2012, there have been repeated attacks by Islamist groups in Mali. The Malian armed forces, which crack down on suspects, are regularly accused of human rights abuses. In such cases, the army always promises to investigate the allegations. According to human rights activists, however, most of the offenses go unpunished.
According to reports, Russian mercenaries are also stationed in Mali. According to Human Rights Watch, several witnesses have identified the militants involved in the executions as Russians.
The allegations are also likely to fuel the debate about the future of the Bundeswehr’s deployment in Mali. The mandates for participation in the MINUSMA mission and the EU training mission EUTM expire at the end of May.