The killings represented a 324% rise over the previous quarter and highlighted the failure of Mali's military junta to limit human rights abuses or stop groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State from carrying out campaigns of violence. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterMali's military, which took power in a 2020 coup, did not respond to requests for comment. MINUSMA documented 320 human rights violations by the Malian military in the January-March period, compared with 31 in the previous three months. The most notable case was in the town of Moura, where witnesses and rights groups say the Malian army accompanied by white fighters killed scores of civilians they suspected of being militants. read more"In addition to summary executions, security forces also allegedly raped, looted, arrested and arbitrarily detained many civilians during the military operation," MINUSMA said.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 30, 2022 23:49 UTC