The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, on Tuesday denounced the “unjustifiable” violence perpetrated in Moura in March 2022 by Malian forces and the Wagner group against civilian populations and documented in a UN report.
“The European Union and its Member States have for many years supported Mali’s fight against terrorist groups (…) Nevertheless, the violence perpetrated by State forces and elements of the Wagner group against civilian populations, such as documented in the report, are unjustifiable,” said Borrell in a statement released Tuesday evening in Brussels.
This violence “only adds to the destabilization of Mali, and only aggravates the harmful consequences on neighboring countries”, he lamented.
Violation of Human Rights
“The fight against terrorism can in no way justify massive violations of human rights”, he warned, calling for “an independent, impartial, effective and exhaustive judicial investigation”.
“Impunity must be fought with severity and with the utmost urgency,” he said.
The UN on Friday accused the Malian army and “foreign” fighters of executing at least 500 people in March 2022, during an anti-jihadist operation in Moura, in a damning report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. the man.
This report is based on an investigation by the human rights division of the peacekeeping mission deployed in Mali since 2013 (MINUSMA). It has been denounced by the ruling junta in Mali as being based on a “fictitious narrative”.
This article is originally published on sudquotidien.sn
