Armed groups step up murders, rapes in Mali: HRW
1 year, 5 months ago

Armed groups step up murders, rapes in Mali: HRW

Al Jazeera  

New York-based rights group reports six attacks in the Gao region and two in Menaka between January and June. “Islamist armed groups are brutally attacking civilians and fuelling a massive humanitarian emergency,” said HRW senior Sahel researcher Ilaria Allegrozzi. “Security has deteriorated sharply amid clashes between two armed Islamist groups as they seek to control supply routes and increase their influence,” the rights watchdog said in a report, adding that it could not confirm the total death toll since January. HRW said the findings were based on interviews with 52 people including “39 witnesses to abuses, 7 members of Malian civil society organisations, and 6 representatives of international organisations”. HRW said Russia’s Wagner Group has been implicated in “atrocities” in several African countries, including Mali, and documented “serious abuses” by Malian security and “apparent Wagner forces during counter-insurgency operations in central Mali”.

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History of this topic

Rights group accuses Russian mercenaries of abuses against civilians in Mali
1 week, 6 days ago

Rights group accuses Russian mercenaries of abuses against civilians in Mali

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — Mali’s armed forces, supported by Russian mercenaries, committed abuses against civilians since the withdrawal of a U.N. peacekeeping mission late last year, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Thursday. Malian armed forces and the Russia-backed Wagner Group deliberately killed at least 32 civilians, including seven in a drone strike, kidnapped four others, and burned at …

Armed groups with links to ISIL, al-Qaeda terrorising Burkina Faso: HRW
3 months, 1 week ago

Armed groups with links to ISIL, al-Qaeda terrorising Burkina Faso: HRW

Al Jazeera  

Groups with links to al-Qaeda and ISIL are accused of ‘massacring villagers, displaced people, and Christian worshippers’. Armed groups with links to al-Qaeda and ISIL have escalated attacks on civilians in Burkina Faso, Human Rights Watch has said in a report. Publishing the report on Wednesday, the NGO documented the killing of at least 128 civilians in seven attacks by …

An extremist group and ethnic militias committed atrocities in Mali, Human Rights Watch says
7 months, 2 weeks ago

An extremist group and ethnic militias committed atrocities in Mali, Human Rights Watch says

Associated Press  

BAMAKO, Mali — An extremist group linked to al-Qaida carried out mass killings in two villages in central Mali in January, Human Rights Watch said in a report Wednesday, in an apparent war crime that caused thousands to flee their homes. The report also documented a separate incident in which an ethnic armed group killed 13 people and abducted 24 …

Armed groups committing atrocities in Mali: HRW
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Armed groups committing atrocities in Mali: HRW

Al Jazeera  

Mali is plagued by armed groups, making swaths of territory ungovernable. Al-Qaeda-linked and warring ethnically-based armed groups are committing atrocities in Mali, Human Rights Watch reports. “Islamist armed groups and ethnic militias are brutally attacking civilians without fear of prosecution,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at HRW. Mali along with its neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger, where armed groups …

Mali says it killed extremist commander who took part in one of worst attacks on US forces in Africa
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Mali says it killed extremist commander who took part in one of worst attacks on US forces in Africa

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A senior Islamic State group …

Burkina Faso’s army executed more than 200 civilians: Rights group
8 months ago

Burkina Faso’s army executed more than 200 civilians: Rights group

Al Jazeera  

Human Rights Watch accuses military of conducting campaigns against civilians accused of links to armed groups. Burkina Faso’s military forces “summarily executed” 223 civilians, including at least 56 children, in two villages in February, Human Rights Watch has said in a new report. The international rights group said the massacre appeared to be part of a widespread military campaign against …

UN rights chief decries death of 50 people in Mali attacks
10 months, 3 weeks ago

UN rights chief decries death of 50 people in Mali attacks

Al Jazeera  

The UN official said he was ‘appalled’ by the killings in central Mali. The UN rights chief on Thursday said he was “appalled” by alleged summary executions of 25 people by Mali’s army and “foreign military personnel” last week in a region plagued by violence from armed groups. “I am appalled by credible allegations that Malian armed forces accompanied by …

Mali: Dozens killed as rebels attack army camp, village
1 year ago

Mali: Dozens killed as rebels attack army camp, village

Firstpost  

Millions of people have been displaced and large areas of territory have been taken over by factions associated with the Islamic State and al Qaeda, causing thousands of deaths and spreading the bloodshed throughout the Sahel region south of the Sahara A local official reported that terrorists assaulted a military camp and a community in central Mali on Tuesday, killing …

Rights groups report widespread war crimes across Africa’s Sahel region with communities under siege
1 year, 1 month ago

Rights groups report widespread war crimes across Africa’s Sahel region with communities under siege

Associated Press  

ABUJA, Nigeria — Security forces and armed groups are committing war crimes against civilians in Africa’s Sahel region, where extremists and rebels are increasingly fighting to exert dominance and control resources in communities, according to new reports from two rights groups. Civilians are increasingly being killed, abducted or abused, including in Burkina Faso, where jihadi groups have fought for many …

Mali’s junta struggles to fight growing violence in a northern region as UN peacekeepers withdraw
1 year, 3 months ago

Mali’s junta struggles to fight growing violence in a northern region as UN peacekeepers withdraw

Associated Press  

BAMAKO, Mali — Attacks in northern Mali have more than doubled since U.N. peacekeepers completed the first phase of their withdrawal last month after a decade of fighting Islamic extremists, resulting in more than 150 deaths. After more than three years in power, Mali’s military junta is struggling to fight growing violence in a hard-hit northern region after demanding the …

At least 10 Malian soldiers killed in latest attack in hard-hit northern region
1 year, 3 months ago

At least 10 Malian soldiers killed in latest attack in hard-hit northern region

Associated Press  

BAMAKO, Mali — At least 10 government soldiers were killed Tuesday during an attack by armed groups in northern Mali, the nation’s armed forces said, amid ongoing deadly violence in the hard-hit region and as United Nations peacekeepers continue their withdrawal. Malian security forces repelled “the attack with booby-trapped vehicles by several terrorists aboard several vehicles and motorcycles in the …

Gunmen Kill at Least 23 in an Attack on a Village in Central Mali
1 year, 4 months ago

Gunmen Kill at Least 23 in an Attack on a Village in Central Mali

News 18  

Armed gunmen killed at least 23 people and wounded 12 in an attack on a village in central Mali, officials said Sunday. Sidi Mohamed El Bechir, governor of the Bandiagara region where the attack took place, said unidentified men killed dozens of people and set fire to several homes in the village of Yarou on Friday. Friday’s attack in the …

Gunmen kill at least 23 in an attack on a village in central Mali
1 year, 4 months ago

Gunmen kill at least 23 in an attack on a village in central Mali

Associated Press  

BAMAKO, Mali — Armed gunment killed at least 23 people and wounded 12 in an attack on a village in central Mali, officials said Sunday. Sidi Mohamed El Bechir, governor of the Bandiagara region where the attack took place, said unidentified men killed dozens of people and set fire to several homes in the village of Yarou on Friday. Friday’s …

West Africa recorded over 1,800 terrorist attack in first six months of 2023, regional official says
1 year, 4 months ago

West Africa recorded over 1,800 terrorist attack in first six months of 2023, regional official says

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — West Africa recorded over 1,800 terrorist attacks in the first six months of the year resulting in nearly 4,600 deaths with dire humanitarian consequences, and a top regional official said Tuesday that’s just “a snippet of the horrendous impact of insecurity.” Omar Touray told the U.N. Security Council that half a million people in the 15-nation Economic …

Armed groups step up murders, rapes in Mali: HRW
1 year, 5 months ago

Armed groups step up murders, rapes in Mali: HRW

Al Jazeera  

New York-based rights group reports six attacks in the Gao region and two in Menaka between January and June. “Islamist armed groups are brutally attacking civilians and fuelling a massive humanitarian emergency,” said HRW senior Sahel researcher Ilaria Allegrozzi. “Security has deteriorated sharply amid clashes between two armed Islamist groups as they seek to control supply routes and increase their …

Armed groups are committing abuses in English-speaking regions of Cameroon, rights group says
1 year, 5 months ago

Armed groups are committing abuses in English-speaking regions of Cameroon, rights group says

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — Civilians in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions are being victimized by the army, separatists and militias who are carrying out killings, torture and sexual violence, according to an Amnesty International report released Tuesday. Researchers from the human rights group spoke with more than 100 victims of armed violence, documenting extrajudicial killings and the razing of homes and villages in …

Mali authorities say they will prosecute those behind UN report that accused military of abuses
1 year, 6 months ago

Mali authorities say they will prosecute those behind UN report that accused military of abuses

Associated Press  

BAMAKO, Mali — Malian authorities will launch an espionage prosecution against the people behind a U.N. report that accused the country’s military of committing human rights violations alongside Russian mercenaries, Mali’s public prosecutor said. The announcement comes amid growing uncertainty about the future of the U.N.'s peacekeeping mission in Mali after Foreign Affairs Minister Abdoulaye Diop recently made a formal …

Men in military uniforms kill 60 people in Burkina Faso
1 year, 8 months ago

Men in military uniforms kill 60 people in Burkina Faso

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — At least 60 people have been killed by men in military uniforms in northern Burkina Faso, authorities said. Burkina Faso’s government recently announced it was opening other investigations into allegations of human rights abuses by its security forces after a video surfaced that appeared to show the extrajudicial killing of seven children in the country’s north. AP’s …

UN: Al-Qaida and Islamic State driving insecurity in Mali
1 year, 11 months ago

UN: Al-Qaida and Islamic State driving insecurity in Mali

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — Al-Qaida and Islamic State extremist groups are driving insecurity in central Mali and continue to clash near populated areas in the northern Gao and Menaka regions, the U.N. chief said in a new report circulated Monday. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “the level and frequency of incidents of violence remain exceptionally high,” with attacks by “violent extremist groups” …

Violence soars in Mali in the year after Russian mercenaries arrive
1 year, 11 months ago

Violence soars in Mali in the year after Russian mercenaries arrive

LA Times  

Three Russian mercenaries, right, are pictured in northern Mali in an undated photograph from the French military. “Here in Bamako, I live a life I didn’t choose.” It’s been more than a year since hundreds of fighters from Wagner Group, a shadowy Russian military contractor, began working alongside Mali’s armed forces to try to stem a decadelong insurgency by Islamic …

Burkina Faso’s military government struggles to contain violence
2 years, 5 months ago

Burkina Faso’s military government struggles to contain violence

Al Jazeera  

Since January’s coup, the number of attacks has increased by more than 23 percent, compared with the five months before. When the mutinous soldiers removed the government last January in Burkina Faso, they pledged to end the country’s crippling security crisis, a task that they claimed elected officials failed to execute. After talks with the military government in June, former …

Suspected Jihadists 'Systemically' Slaughter Over 130 People In Western Africa's Mali
2 years, 6 months ago

Suspected Jihadists 'Systemically' Slaughter Over 130 People In Western Africa's Mali

News 18  

Suspected jihadists massacred more than 130 civilians over the weekend in neighbouring central Mali towns, the latest mass killings in the Sahel region. Deteriorating border situation Nearly 600 civilians were killed in Mali in 2021 in violence blamed mainly on jihadists, but also on self-defence militias and armed forces, according to a UN document published in March. The UN has …

Eleven military policemen killed in northern Burkina Faso
2 years, 6 months ago

Eleven military policemen killed in northern Burkina Faso

Al Jazeera  

The landlocked country has now replaced Mali, birthplace of the conflict in the Sahel, as the epicentre of the crisis. Eleven military policemen have been killed in northern Burkina Faso after their post was attacked by armed men, the army has said. The West African country is battling armed groups, some linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL, that are waging a …

Over 500 Killed in Mali Clashes as Military Junta Loses Grip: UN Report
2 years, 6 months ago

Over 500 Killed in Mali Clashes as Military Junta Loses Grip: UN Report

News 18  

Over 500 civilians died in attacks carried out by armed forces and Islamist groups in Mali from January to March this year, the United Nations said in a report on Monday that detailed a rapid unravelling of an already desperate security situation. The killings represented a 324% rise over the previous quarter and highlighted the failure of Mali’s military junta …

UN report links Mali army to rise in rights abuses
2 years, 6 months ago

UN report links Mali army to rise in rights abuses

Al Jazeera  

The report says civilian deaths, rights abuses attributable to the Malian military surged in the first quarter of 2022. Civilian deaths and rights abuses attributable to the Malian armed forces and backed by “foreign military elements” have surged in the first quarter of 2022, a United Nations report has said, with the killings seeing a 324 percent rise during the …

Mali’s military government says it foiled countercoup attempt
2 years, 7 months ago

Mali’s military government says it foiled countercoup attempt

Al Jazeera  

Mali’s military government says its security forces thwarted an attempted coup, led by army officers and supported by an unnamed Western state, last week. The government’s announcement on Monday comes after years of turmoil in Mali, where Colonel Assimi Goita led coups in 2020 and 2021 before becoming president of the West African nation. However, relations with former coloniser France …

Jihadi abuses increasing in Burkina Faso, says rights group
2 years, 7 months ago

Jihadi abuses increasing in Burkina Faso, says rights group

Associated Press  

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — The atrocities are rampant: A 25-year-old woman abducted at night from her home, pinned down and raped by a jihadi while another held her baby. These are some of the abuses committed in Burkina Faso by Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group documented in a report released Monday by Human Rights Watch. …

15 soldiers, 6 civilians killed in attacks in Mali, Burkina Faso
2 years, 8 months ago

15 soldiers, 6 civilians killed in attacks in Mali, Burkina Faso

Al Jazeera  

Vehicles packed with explosives were driven into three military camps in central Mali before dawn on Sunday Fifteen soldiers and six civilians have been killed in attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso, neighbouring West African countries that are struggling against armed groups. Vehicles packed with explosives were driven into three military camps in central Mali before dawn on Sunday, the …

UN demands Mali allow peacekeepers into town where 300 died
2 years, 8 months ago

UN demands Mali allow peacekeepers into town where 300 died

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — The top U.N. envoy in Mali demanded Thursday that the country’s military leaders allow U.N. peacekeepers to visit a town where Human Rights Watch says the Malian army and foreign soldiers suspected to be Russian recently killed an estimated 300 men, one of several alleged rights abuses denounced by the U.S., Britain and France. Ambassador Nicolas De …

300 killed by Mali’s army and foreigners, says rights group
2 years, 8 months ago

300 killed by Mali’s army and foreigners, says rights group

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — Mali’s army and foreign soldiers suspected to be Russian recently killed an estimated 300 men — some of them suspected Islamic extremist fighters but most civilians — in Moura in central Mali, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. It is the worst single atrocity reported in Mali’s 10-year armed conflict against Islamic extremists, according to the rights group …

Mali: HRW condemns ‘deliberate slaughter’ of 300 men by military
2 years, 8 months ago

Mali: HRW condemns ‘deliberate slaughter’ of 300 men by military

Al Jazeera  

Witnesses told HRW that the Malian army and foreign soldiers killed hundreds of people in the southern town of Moura. International watchdog Human Rights Watch has condemned the summary execution of an estimated 300 people, including civilians and suspected members of armed groups during a military operation conducted by Malian forces and foreign fighters. “Abuses by armed Islamist groups is …

More than 100 civilians killed in Mali in recent months
2 years, 9 months ago

More than 100 civilians killed in Mali in recent months

Associated Press  

BAMAKO, Mali — More than 107 civilians have been killed in recent months in Mali in attacks by Mali’s army and jihadist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. Among the civilians killed since December 2021, Mali’s soldiers have been responsible for at least 71 of the deaths, the international rights organization said …

41 killed in attack by armed groups in Burkina Faso
2 years, 11 months ago

41 killed in attack by armed groups in Burkina Faso

Al Jazeera  

Government says the dead included members of a gov’t-backed civilian self-defence force set up to support the army. Dozens of people have been killed in an attack by armed groups in Burkina Faso’s troubled north. In a statement released late on Saturday, the government said the dead included members of a government-backed civilian self-defence force known as the Volunteers for …

Extremists attack Malian villages; at least 40 killed
3 years, 4 months ago

Extremists attack Malian villages; at least 40 killed

Associated Press  

BAMAKO, Mali — Gunmen have attacked several villages in northern Mali, “shooting at anything that moved” and killing at least 40 people in apparent retribution for the recent arrest of several jihadi leaders, authorities said Monday. The latest violence took place in the volatile area along the borders of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso where extremists linked to the Islamic …

Five Dead in Suspected Jihadist Attack in Mali, Says Security Official
3 years, 6 months ago

Five Dead in Suspected Jihadist Attack in Mali, Says Security Official

News 18  

Four civilians and a police officer were killed Sunday by suspected jihadists in southern Mali, a region that has previously been mostly spared from the country’s Islamist unrest, a security official said. New president Colonel Assimi Goita, who led the coup last August and was installed after transitional president Bah Ndaw and prime minister Moctar Ouane were stripped of the …

What does the coup mean for Mali’s spiralling security crisis?
4 years, 3 months ago

What does the coup mean for Mali’s spiralling security crisis?

Al Jazeera  

What began with reports of gunshots at an army barracks just outside Bamako in the morning of August 18 ended hours later with a group of mutinous soldiers arresting and forcing the resignation of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Mali’s embattled president. “And to persuade, or to undermine any local Malians’ views that maybe there’s a new dispensation on the horizon.” Another …

Can France defeat armed groups in the Sahel?
4 years, 4 months ago

Can France defeat armed groups in the Sahel?

Al Jazeera  

France pledges to continue fighting armed groups after the killing of French aid workers in Niger. Niger has struggled to cope with years of attacks by armed groups that have launched significant deadly attacks and forced many people from their homes. French prosecutors say a “terror investigation'” is under way, while President Emmanuel Macron chaired a national defence council meeting …

Ivory Coast arrests armed group leader behind border post attack
4 years, 6 months ago

Ivory Coast arrests armed group leader behind border post attack

Al Jazeera  

Defence minister says ‘very large’ number of people held over June11 raid that killed at least 10 troops. Ivory Coast says it has arrested the leader of an armed group that last week carried out a deadly attack on a military post near the border with Burkina Faso. Bakayoko said the authorities had carried out a “very large of arrests …

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