Mali rejects claims of targeted killing of civilians
by AFP Staff Writers
Dakar (AFP) Nov 6, 2023
Mali's ruling junta on Monday rejected as "unfounded" accusations by a rights group that its soldiers and Russian mercenaries killed 40 civilians in three operations.
In Bamako, the foreign ministry said the Human Rights Watch report released last week took a "sensationalist and biased approach" and put the nation's army "on the same level as the armed Islamist groups".
The ministry listed "unfounded allegations, gratuitous affirmations, testimonials taken from a distance and slanted, erroneous conclusions".
It also again denied working with Russia's Wagner paramilitary company, without naming it.
HRW said Islamist armed groups and Malian soldiers killed at least 175 civilians, many of them children, between April and September, condemning the targeted killing of civilians as war crimes.
The Al-Qaeda-linked Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) was responsible for the deaths of at least 135 civilians in two attacks, the organisation said.
Malian soldiers and fighters apparently from Wagner killed 40 civilians in three operations between April and September, it said.
Bamako's junta leaders struck up a partnership with Wagner after French troops pulled out of Mali in 2022.
The HRW report was based on telephone interviews with 40 people conducted in August and September.
Mali, under a military junta since 2020, has been locked in the grip of jihadism and a deep multidimensional crisis since 2012.
"The Malian government has failed to take adequate measures to protect civilians in conflict affected areas," Human Rights Watch said.
"The targeted killing of civilians by Islamist armed groups and the Malian army are war crimes that should be thoroughly and impartially investigated."
Human rights organisations and the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA have on numerous occasions accused the army of rights abuses.
"The Malian Armed Forces carry out their role with strict respect for the rights of man and international humanitarian law," the ministry said.
The authorities say they monitor respect for human rights and investigate where necessary, but the results are never made public.
Artificial Intelligence Analysis
Objectives:
The objective of this text is to report the Mali governments rejection of accusations against its military and Russian mercenaries for the targeted killing of civilians in three operations between April and September.
Current State-of-the-Art and Its Limitations:
Human Rights Watch released a report last week accusing the Mali government of the targeted killing of 40 civilians, which was denied by the foreign ministry of Malian as unfounded and biased. The report was based on telephone interviews with 40 people conducted in August and September.
Whats New in the Approach and Why It Will Succeed:
The Mali government has denied the accusations and has promised to take adequate measures to protect civilians in conflict affected areas. Human rights organizations and the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA have accused the Mali government on numerous occasions for not taking adequate measures to protect civilians in conflict affected areas.
Target Audience and Impact if Successful:
The target audience in this case is the government of Mali and the impact if successful is the protection of civilians in conflict areas.
Risks Involved in Pursuing this Approach:
There is a risk of further conflict if the government of Mali is unable to protect civilians from targeted attacks.
Cost of Pursuing This Approach:
The cost of pursuing this approach is difficult to estimate as it depends on various factors such as resources and manpower required.Timeline for Achieving Results:
The timeline for achieving results depends on the measures taken by the government of Mali to protect civilians in conflict areas and how successful these measures are.Mid-Term and Final
Success Metrics:
The mid-term and final success metrics can be determined by monitoring the number of civilian casualties in conflict affected areas and the measures taken by the government of Mali to protect them.
DARPA Score: 0/10
:
The text does not provide sufficient information for DARPA to assess the project.
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