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 which said it interviewed several witnesses about the killings. In the Moura incident, Malian army troops and foreign soldiers in late March rounded up several hundred men and shot dead about 300 of them, burying many in mass graves and burning others, according to Human Rights Watch. Extremists from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara are alleged to have killed hundreds of civilians in March in Mali’s eastern Menaka region, which Human Rights Watch said it is investigating separately.

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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 …

At least 6 mercenaries with Russia’s Wagner group killed in an extremist attack in Mali
1 month ago

At least 6 mercenaries with Russia’s Wagner group killed in an extremist attack in Mali

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — At least six Russian mercenaries were killed in an attack by an al-Qaida-linked group in central Mali, according to a statement by the extremists on its media platform. The group, known by its acronym, JNIM, said it ambushed a convoy of mercenaries working for the Wagner Group on Thursday in the Mopti region, killing fighters and burning …

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 …

Burkina Faso’s army massacred over 200 civilians in a village raid, Human Rights Watch says
8 months ago

Burkina Faso’s army massacred over 200 civilians in a village raid, Human Rights Watch says

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — Military forces in Burkina Faso killed 223 civilians, including babies and many children, in attacks on two villages accused of cooperating with militants, Human Rights Watch said in a report published Thursday. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the United Nations didn’t have any confirmation of the attack, but added: “I can tell you that these reports are …

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 …

In Mali, Russian Wagner Mercenaries Are Helping the Army Kill Civilians, Rights Groups Say
8 months, 3 weeks ago

In Mali, Russian Wagner Mercenaries Are Helping the Army Kill Civilians, Rights Groups Say

News 18  

The Russian mercenary group known as Wagner is helping government forces in central and northern Mali carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed scores of civilians, including many children, rights groups said in reports published this week that span the period from December to March. In an example of a raid carried out by Russian-backed government forces in …

Claims Russian Wagner mercenaries are killing civilians in Mali
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Claims Russian Wagner mercenaries are killing civilians in Mali

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 The Russian mercenary group Wagner …

In Mali, Russian Wagner mercenaries are helping the army kill civilians, rights groups say
8 months, 3 weeks ago

In Mali, Russian Wagner mercenaries are helping the army kill civilians, rights groups say

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — The Russian mercenary group known as Wagner is helping government forces in central and northern Mali carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed scores of civilians, including many children, rights groups said in reports published this week that span the period from December to March. In an example of a raid carried out by Russian-backed …

In Mali, Russian mercenaries are helping the army kill civilians, rights groups say
8 months, 3 weeks ago

In Mali, Russian mercenaries are helping the army kill civilians, rights groups say

LA Times  

Three Russian mercenaries, right, are seen in Mali in an undated photo. The Russian mercenary group known as Wagner is helping government forces in central and northern Mali carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed scores of civilians, including many children, human rights groups said in reports published this week that span the period from December to March. …

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 …

Burkina Faso army strikes killed dozens of civilians, says HRW
11 months ago

Burkina Faso army strikes killed dozens of civilians, says HRW

Al Jazeera  

The army’s fight against rebels has been criticised as heavy-handed, with the HRW report being the latest instance of that criticism. International watchdog Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused the Burkina Faso army of killing at least 60 civilians in drone strikes which the government said targeted armed groups. The deaths occurred in three military drone strikes since August, two …

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 …

More than 50 security forces killed by jihadis in Burkina Faso, as violence inches closer to capital
1 year, 3 months ago

More than 50 security forces killed by jihadis in Burkina Faso, as violence inches closer to capital

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — More than 50 security forces were killed and dozens wounded during intense fighting with jihadis in northern Burkina Faso, the army said Tuesday. Several dozen of the Islamic militants also were killed, as part of an operation to try push back the jihadis from Koumbri so that displaced people could return, the army said. The number of …

The Congolese military is accused of a deadly crackdown on a religious sect, killing at least 43
1 year, 3 months ago

The Congolese military is accused of a deadly crackdown on a religious sect, killing at least 43

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — More than 40 people died and dozens were injured while protesters from a religious sect gathered in the Congolese city of Goma, national authorities said. Congo’s communications ministry said violence related to planned protests led to 43 deaths and 56 injuries, raising the preliminary death toll of seven announced by the army on Wednesday. “People have a …

Mali’s army and suspected Russia-linked mercenaries committed ‘new atrocities,’ rights group says
1 year, 5 months ago

Mali’s army and suspected Russia-linked mercenaries committed ‘new atrocities,’ rights group says

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — Mali’s army together with suspected mercenaries from the shadowy Russian group Wagner have committed summary executions, lootings, forced disappearances and other abuses, a leading human rights group reported Monday. The human rights group interviewed 40 people by phone, including witnesses, and reviewed a video “showing evidence of abuses by Malian soldiers and associated foreign fighters.” HRW said …

Rights group says Mali army, foreign fighters executed civilians
1 year, 5 months ago

Rights group says Mali army, foreign fighters executed civilians

Al Jazeera  

Human Rights Watch accuses Malian armed forces and fighters believed to be from the Wagner Group of ‘executing’ dozens of civilians. Human Rights Watch has accused the Malian armed forces and “foreign” fighters believed to be from the Russian mercenary Wagner Group of “executing” dozens of civilians during operations. “Malian armed forces and foreign fighters apparently from the Russia-linked Wagner …

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 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 …

Burkina Faso’s military accused of killings, torture in latest Human Rights Watch report
1 year, 5 months ago

Burkina Faso’s military accused of killings, torture in latest Human Rights Watch report

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — A slew of extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and instances of torture by Burkina Faso’s military has terrorized communities in the country’s northeast this year, according to a Human Rights Watch report released Thursday. “In the cases we documented, most of those who have been victims of these crimes were from the Fulani ethnic group,” explained Ilaria Allegrozzi, …

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 …

Suspected jihadists kill 33 Burkina Faso troops: Army
1 year, 7 months ago

Suspected jihadists kill 33 Burkina Faso troops: Army

India Today  

An attack by suspected jihadists killed 33 soldiers in eastern Burkina Faso on Thursday, the army said. A contingent of troops came across "a complex, large-scale attack" in the east region, which also left 12 soldiers wounded, according to an army statement. READ | 40 killed in attack by suspected jihadists in Burkina Faso Burkina Faso has been grappling with …

Mass killing of civilians by security forces in Burkina Faso
1 year, 7 months ago

Mass killing of civilians by security forces in Burkina Faso

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — The accounts are horrific. These are some of the atrocities allegedly perpetrated by Burkina Faso’s security forces in the north of the country, according to a statement Tuesday by locals from the village of Karma where the violence took place. Earlier this week, Burkina Faso’s prosecutor said it had already opened an investigation into the killings, but …

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 …

60 killed in Burkina Faso by men in military uniforms, says prosecutor
1 year, 8 months ago

60 killed in Burkina Faso by men in military uniforms, says prosecutor

India Today  

Around 60 civilians were killed on Friday in northern Burkina Faso by people wearing the uniforms of the Burkinabe armed forces, local prosecutor Lamine Kabore said on Sunday, citing information from police in the town of Ouahigouya. Since 2022, attacks by armed groups on civilians have surged while state security forces and volunteer defence troops have conducted a number of …

40 killed in attack by suspected jihadists in Burkina Faso
1 year, 8 months ago

40 killed in attack by suspected jihadists in Burkina Faso

India Today  

Unidentified armed men killed 40 people and wounded 33 others in an attack on the army and volunteer defence forces in northern Burkina Faso, officials said on Sunday. READ | South Korea fires warning shots after North's boat crosses sea border On Sunday, there was "another attack targeting the military detachment of Kongoussi ", news agency AFP quoted the same …

Dozens of security force members killed in Burkina Faso
1 year, 8 months ago

Dozens of security force members killed in Burkina Faso

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — At least 40 members of Burkina Faso’s security forces were killed by gunmen in the northern part of the country, and dozens of others were injured, authorities said Sunday. Six soldiers and 34 volunteer fighters, civilians who assist the military, were killed near the town of Ouahigouya on Saturday afternoon, northern region secretary-general Kouilga Albert Zongo said …

Russia pledges military support to Mali during Lavrov visit
1 year, 10 months ago

Russia pledges military support to Mali during Lavrov visit

Associated Press  

BAMAKO, Mali — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pledged military support to Mali during his first visit to the West African nation Tuesday and dismissed criticism of Moscow’s growing influence on the continent. Lavrov’s trip to Bamako, Mali’s capital, comes as Western countries express their concerns about alleged human rights abuses committed by Russian mercenaries working for the private military …

Burkina Faso says 28 soldiers, civilians killed in rebel attacks
1 year, 10 months ago

Burkina Faso says 28 soldiers, civilians killed in rebel attacks

Al Jazeera  

At least 28 people, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed in two attacks by armed assailants in Burkina Faso, a regional governor and the army said in separate statements. The latest killings come as Burkina Faso — and its neighbours in Mali and Niger — battle armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL who have occupied territory in the …

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 rights group alleges 28 dead in ethnic killings
1 year, 11 months ago

Burkina Faso rights group alleges 28 dead in ethnic killings

Associated Press  

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Volunteer militia groups supporting Burkina Faso’s army have killed dozens of civilians of the ethnic Fulani group, including children, in the troubled country’s west, a local rights group charged on Tuesday. Burkina Faso’s government said it has launched an investigation into the killings of at least 28 people. In a statement Monday, Armel Sama Burkina Faso’s …

Islamic terrorists kill 132 civilians over the weekend in Mali, Africa
2 years, 6 months ago

Islamic terrorists kill 132 civilians over the weekend in Mali, Africa

Op India  

The government of the Republic of Mali in West Africa confirmed on Monday that as many as 132 civilians have been killed in recent attacks by Islamic terrorists in the country. Meanwhile, Moulaye Guindo, the mayor of Bankass told The Associated Press news agency, “Investigators are on the spot today to find out exactly what happened.” The United Nations peacekeeping …

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 …

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. …

French accuse Russian mercenaries of staging burials in Mali
2 years, 8 months ago

French accuse Russian mercenaries of staging burials in Mali

Associated Press  

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — The French military has released videos appearing to show Russian mercenaries burying bodies near an army base in northern Mali, which it says is part of a smear campaign against the French who handed the base to Malian forces earlier this week. Aerial surveillance images taken by the French military on Thursday morning and provided to …

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 …

Malian troops accused of massacre of civilians: report
2 years, 8 months ago

Malian troops accused of massacre of civilians: report

The Hindu  

Malian soldiers have been accused of killing an estimated 300 civilians in the central Malian town of Moura in late March. "The incident is the worst single atrocity reported in Mali's decade-long armed conflict," the HRW report said. "The soldiers patrolled through town, executing several men as they tried to flee, and detaining hundreds of unarmed men from the market …

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 …

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 …

At least 114 killed in deadliest Burkina Faso attacks since 2015
3 years, 6 months ago

At least 114 killed in deadliest Burkina Faso attacks since 2015

The Hindu  

Suspected jihadists have massacred at least 114 civilians in Burkina Faso’s volatile north in the deadliest attacks since Islamist violence erupted in the west African country in 2015, officials said on June 5. "We must remain united and solid against these obscurantist forces," Kabore said, condemning a massacre that left at least 100 people dead in Solhan as “barbaric” and …

French airstrike killed Mali civilians, claim officials
3 years, 8 months ago

French airstrike killed Mali civilians, claim officials

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 The French army killed six …

Niger soldiers executed dozens of civilians, probe says
4 years, 3 months ago

Niger soldiers executed dozens of civilians, probe says

India Today  

Soldiers in Niger executed dozens of civilians during the counterinsurgency campaign against jihadists in the country's troubled Tillaberi region earlier this year, a probe into the deaths reported. The national armies of Niger and its neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso have been accused of war crimes in their response operations, including forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Jihadist violence resulted in …

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