(Washington) The United States said it was “appalled” Monday by a UN report accusing the Malian army of having committed abuses in March 2022 in Moura, Mali and called on the transitional government to lift its restrictions on the UN force.
“The United States is appalled by the disregard for human life shown by elements of the Malian Armed Forces in cooperation with the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group during an operation in Moura in March last year,” said a statement from State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
The UN on Friday accused the Malian army and “foreign” fighters of having executed at least 500 people in March 2022, during an anti-jihadist operation in Moura, in a damning report by the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Male.
The High Commissioner “has reasonable grounds to believe” that at least 500 people, including some 20 women and seven children, were “executed by the Malian Armed Forces and foreign military personnel” between March 27 and 31 2022 in this locality of a few thousand inhabitants.
This report is based on an investigation by the human rights division of the peacekeeping mission deployed in Mali since 2013 (Minusma).
The report, denounced on Saturday by the ruling junta in Mali as based on a “fictitious narrative”, is the most accusatory document produced against the Malian forces who have been implicated on multiple occasions in the past.
“We call on the transitional government to carry out an independent, impartial, effective, exhaustive and transparent investigation in order to hold accountable those responsible, in accordance with the recommendations of the UN report”, continues the spokesperson in his press release. .
Moreover, “it is crucial that the Minusma be able to continue its mandate without hindrance”, he adds, denouncing “the restrictions of the transitional government on the freedom of movement” of this UN force.