A new report published Wednesday by Human Rights Watch shows how thousands of villagers are targeted both by armed jihadist groups on the one hand, and on the other by the Malian Armed Forces supported by their Wagner proxies. For two months, the international NGO interviewed dozens of witnesses to abuses in the regions of Mopti, Gao, Timbuktu and Nara. She estimates that at least 200 people have been killed in the past seven months.
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According to Human Rights Watch, more than 160 people have been murdered by Jnim, linked to Al-Qaeda, and more than 40 by Malian Forces since April. It was precisely at this time that the Islamic State, rival of Jnim, seized the town of Ménaka.
“ It was in April that the Islamic State took control of the town of Tidermène and almost the entire Ménaka region and since then security in the Ménaka and Gao region has deteriorated significantly. “, explains Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.
The report also discusses the massacre of passengers on a boat in the Timbuktu region at the beginning of September. Testimonies collected by the NGO indicate more than 120 deaths, more than double the toll announced by the Malian authorities.
Torture and executions
The investigation does not spare the Fama named by witnesses as guilty of the killings of Tabakoro, Gadougou and Sambani. In the latter village, accounts accuse Wagner’s elements of having supported the torture and execution of 17 residents. “ On the one hand, extremist groups continue to burn their huts, steal their livestock and rape their women and on the other hand, these same civilians have difficulty confiding in the defense and security forces because these same forces engage in violent abuses against them », deplores Ilaria Allegrozzi.
The NGO is concerned about the fate of Malian villagers while Minusma must leave the country by the end of the year. The ACLED project, which specializes in collecting information on conflict zones, notes that since January, violence against Malian civilians has increased by almost 40% (38% exactly) compared to last year.