HRW publishes findings on alleged abuses by opposing forces in Mali

Oct 19, 10:46 AM UTC

New investigation examines July and August incidents

Human Rights Watch published findings on October 19 alleging civilian harm by Malian forces and Russian allies, alongside abuses by insurgent and separatist fighters. HRW attributed a July 29 strike that damaged a Talahandak health centre and an August 19 cattle-market strike that killed six civilians to Malian forces. The report is new; the attacks occurred months earlier. HRW said its investigation included 30 remote interviews and geolocated videos showing damage to the health centre. It also reported killings of captured soldiers, while saying it could not determine whether fighters shown in videos belonged to JNIM or the separatist FLA. JNIM acknowledged the killings but denied ordering them; the FLA denied carrying them out. Reuters reported no response to its requests for comment from the army or Russian embassy. Reuters also attributes the incident findings to HRW, rather than independently confirming every allegation.

Human Rights Watch: Mali: Military Attacks on Civilians, Insurgent Abuses · Reuters: Mali forces, Russian backers kill scores of civilians in drone strikes, report says