The growing allegations made by the United Nations and independent advocacy groups of human rights violations in Africa's Sahel region pose a risk that the US security aid to region's five nations may be cut off, the State Department said in a press release on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th July, 2020) The growing allegations made by the United Nations and independent advocacy groups of human rights violations in Africa's Sahel region pose a risk that the US security aid to region's five nations may be cut off, the State Department said in a press release on Thursday.
"The United States has made clear that our assistance to the region must not be used in any way that contributes to violations or abuses of human rights and that without prompt and thorough action to address these allegations US security assistance may be at risk," the release said.
The State Department urged the leaders of the five Sahel nations - Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger - to follow through on their June 30 commitment to investigate all allegations of human rights abuses by security forces.
Reports of rights violations were noted in a Wednesday report by Human Rights Watch and earlier by the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, the release said.
Last week, the US delivered $8.5 million in military aid to Chad to fund the nation's contributions to the five-nation Sahel anti-terrorism force formed in 2005.
