Human Rights Watch, an international watchdog organization has condemned the summary execution of an estimated 300 men, including suspected armed groups, by Mali’s armed forces and associated foreign soldiers.
According to Human Rights Watch, it represented “the worst single atrocity in Mali’s decade-long armed conflict,” which took place over the course of several days of military operations, starting on 27 March, in the central Malian town of Moura.
Corinne Dufka, Sahel director at Human Rights Watch said that “abuses by the Islamist groups is no justification at all for the military’s deliberate slaughter of people in custody.”
“The Malian government is responsible for the atrocity, the worst in Mali in a decade whether carried about by Malian forces or associated foreign forces,” she added.
Human rights watch investigations have revealed that over the course of several days, the Malian army along with associated foreign forces, ordered detained men to walk in groups of up to 10, before being summarily executed.
Furthermore, on 1st of April Mali’s Defence Minister announced that over 203 “terrorists” were killed during the air-land military operation that started on 23rd March.
Who were these men?
According to HRW, a significant number of those killed by the Malian forces and the allied forces, were men belongs pastoralist Peuhl, or Fulani or ethnic groups.
Previously, Islamist groups have focused their recruitment efforts on this group by exploiting their grievances with the government as well as with other ethnic groups.
Violation of Humanitarian Law
Common article 3 of the Geneva Conventions 1949 prohibits abuses against “persons taking no active part in the hostilities,” which includes captured combatants and detained civilians, such as “violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment or torture.”
Therefore, mass killings are considered a breach of international humanitarian law and deliberate killings or other abuse of a person in custody is a war crime.
Current scenario
On 5 April, Germany joined the US, France, and the European Union in calling for an independent investigation in which the UN mission will be involved.
Furthermore, Dufka has also calls for an independent investigation and advised the authorities “to seek assistance from the African Union and the United Nations.”