Mali's army announced Saturday it had opened an investigation into the alleged killing of 53 villagers in the centre of the country, while at the same time denouncing "disinformation".

The announcement follows media reports in September of abuses by Malian troops and the mercenaries from Russia's Wagner group reportedly working with them.

The probe had been opened "to confirm or deny reports of an alleged killing of 53 civilians in the village (of) Gouni-Habe", the army said, at the end of a four-page statement describing operations since late September.

The statement also called for "vigilance and restraint against these propagandistic... attempts by certain media whose sole aim is to sow chaos, hatred, division and desolation in Mali".

It gave no information on the events it was investigating, nor the source of the allegations.

But Radio France Internationale in early September, citing local sources, reported accounts of abuses by Malian soldiers, Russian auxiliaries and members of a community of traditional hunters.

The alleged abuses took place in Nia-Ouro village, not far from Gouni-Habe, in the central Mopti region.

RFI's report referred to rapes, sexual abuse, as well of theft and pillaging.

Nia-Ouro and the surrounding territory is known for being a site where jihadists of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Katiba Macina are active. Mali's army carried out an operation there lasting several days.

There have been regular reports that mercenaries from the controversial Russian firm Wagner have been fighting alongside Malian soldiers.

Mali's ruling junta, in power since August 2020, has repeated deny they are using Wagner forces, referring only to Russian military instructors sent as part of a longstanding cooperation agreement.

Mali's troops have long been accused of abuses, including by the UN mission deployed there.

The authorities insist that the country's soldiers respect human rights and investigate reports of abuses, but the results of such investigations are rarely made public.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Doubts over Ethiopia peace talks as Kenya envoy says won't attend
Nairobi (AFP) Oct 7, 2022
Kenya's former president Uhuru Kenyatta, one of the key players in African Union-led efforts to bring peace to Ethiopia, said Friday he would not be attending negotiations expected to begin this weekend, raising doubts over whether the talks would go ahead. The bid to resolve the near two-year conflict comes as fierce fighting grips northern Ethiopia after a resurgence in combat in August shattered a five-month truce and halted aid into war-torn Tigray. The AU has invited the warring sides to t ... read more