Mali’s military leadership has announced an investigation into claims that soldiers “coldly executed” at least 24 civilians in the northern region on Monday. This assertion was made by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a separatist Tuareg rebel group that is engaged in conflict with the Malian government in the area.
The FLA alleges that Malian forces, along with Wagner mercenaries, intercepted two passenger vehicles traveling to Algeria from Gao and killed the civilians on board, which included women and children. In a statement, army chief Gen Oumar Diarra responded that the allegations “promulgated by terrorist networks, allies and sponsors” follow other “unfounded” accusations against state forces.
For many years, the Malian government has been grappling with both Tuareg rebels seeking independence in the north and jihadist groups associated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The military, which took control in coups in 2020 and 2021, has employed Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group to bolster security within the nation.
Human rights organizations have frequently accused both government forces and the Russians of committing serious human rights violations against civilians, which they refute. Last month, Mali joined Burkina Faso and Niger in exiting the West African regional organization Ecowas, after refusing its demands for a return to civilian governance.
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The exit of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger was a significant setback for Ecowas, which is regarded as Africa’s most significant regional coalition after existing for 50 years. Mali’s military leadership also severed ties with France, its former colonial ruler, which had withdrawn its troops from the country in 2022 after more than a decade of battling Islamist militants.
The subsequent year saw all 12,000 UN peacekeepers depart Mali on the junta’s orders.
