A recent report from Human Rights <a href="https://absafricatv.com/cape-verde-gk-vozinhos-mum-finally-got-her-visa-to-watch-her-son-at/” title=”Cape Verde GK, Vozinho's Mum finally got her visa to watch her son at…”>Watch (HRW) indicates that serious human rights abuses are being perpetrated by various warring factions in Mali. The human rights organization asserts that Islamist combatants, Malian military personnel, and foreign mercenaries supported by the government have all engaged in grave abuses targeting civilians since the conflict intensified in April.
On April 25, jihadists linked to al-Qaeda, who sought to depose the military junta, allied with Tuareg combatants from the Azawad Liberation Front, resulting in the death of Defense Minister Sadio Camara and the capture of Kidal, a town in the north. HRW states that the Malian army and combatants from the Russian Africa Corps have seemingly retaliated against Fulani communities, carrying out what appear to be two airstrikes that resulted in civilian deaths.
These JNIM militants have established a blockade around Bamako, the nation’s capital. During May, they set fire to over 40 civilian vehicles attempting to enter the city and carried out a public execution of an individual in Tonka, a location close to Timbuktu.
“Longstanding impunity continues to fuel the cycle of abuses against civilians in Mali,” states HRW’s senior Sahel researcher, who also urged the United Nations and African Union to back independent inquiries into these violations.
