Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday called on the French and Malian authorities to probe the alleged killings of 19 civilians as a result of an airstrike conducted by the French armed forces targeting jihadists in central Mali
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2021) Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday called on the French and Malian authorities to probe the alleged killings of 19 civilians as a result of an airstrike conducted by the French armed forces targeting jihadists in central Mali.
According to the French army, the airstrike occurred on January 3 near the Bounti village, when two French fighter jets dropped bombs on a group of men identified as Islamist militants. While the HRW noted that a local NGO reported civilian victims among those who gathered on a wedding ceremony the same day in the area, the French forces rejected the allegations, saying they were not aware of any ceremonies being held there and that they killed 30 jihadists in the airstrike.
"Serious allegations that any civilians were killed in airstrikes need to be promptly investigated to determine the legality of the strikes under the laws of war," HRW crisis and conflict researcher Jonathan Pedneault said, as quoted by the organization's statement.
The statement also urges the French government to assist MINUSMA, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, in conducting an inquiry by providing intelligence information and other related data to the investigators, and the Malian government should launch a judicial probe into the incident and provide protection for its witnesses and victims.
Besides, the statement calls on France to "compensate civilian victims" if the air attack is proven "unlawful."
France initiated a 5,000-strong counter-terrorism mission called Barkhane in 2014 to curb the security crisis and jihadist activities across the Sahel region, of which Mali is a part. Within the framework of the operation, the French army cooperates with defense forces of the G5 Sahel bloc, comprising Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Niger.
