Militants in Mali Kill at Least 35 Civilians After Army, UN Leave Area - Rights Watchdog
Armed militants in Mali killed at least 35 civilians in the village of Ogossagou in February, several hours after government troops abandoned a post maintained there since March 2019 and one hour after United Nations peacekeepers passed through the village, a prominent human rights group announced in a report on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th March, 2020) Armed militants in Mali killed at least 35 civilians in the village of Ogossagou in February, several hours after government troops abandoned a post maintained there since March 2019 and one hour after United Nations peacekeepers passed through the village, a prominent human rights group announced in a report on Wednesday.
Government troops had been placed in Ogossagou after 150 Fulani (also known as Peuhl) people were massacred there on March 23, 2019. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), armed Dogon militants entered the village on February 14 after it was abandoned by government forces and began a fresh attack on ethnic Fulani civilians.
"The second massacre in Ogossagou was especially horrendous because the Malian army and UN peacekeepers might have prevented it," HRW's Sahel director Corinne Dufka said in the report.
The massacre in February was only stopped when Malian troops and UN peacekeepers arrived some three hours later, HRW stated.
HRW interviewed a total of 10 witnesses to the attack and presented evidence to the Malian government.
Two separate ministries admitted that mistakes were made and said that investigations were currently underway, the watchdog stated.
"The Malian authorities and parliament as well as the United Nations should investigate the role of the Malian army and UN peacekeepers, and take appropriate disciplinary action against anyone who was negligent in their duty to protect civilians in Ogossagou," Dufka added.
In late February, Mali's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Tiebile Drame told Sputnik that the army's return to the country's northern provinces would be a vital step forward in bringing peace and stability to the country that has been torn apart by political and social unrest after soldiers in 2012 staged a coup in protest of the government's handling of a rebellion in the north.
A UN peacekeeping mission in Mali was established in 2013 to ensure the stabilization of the country. As of January, 11,620 UN troops and 1,723 UN police officers are deployed in the African country.