According to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report published on Tuesday, Malian soldiers and allied militias killed at least 31 civilians during raids in two villages in the central Ségou region, considered a stronghold of an Al-Qaeda-linked insurgent group. This was reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
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The New York-based human rights organization details two attacks committed in October. The first incident, according to HRW, occurred on October 2 in the village of Kamona, where army units and militias killed at least 21 men and burned down houses. The second attack took place in the village of Ballé, located approximately 55 kilometers away, where at least 10 people died, including one woman.
Witnesses told HRW that the military and their allies executed residents, accusing them of collaborating with the Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) group, which is linked to Al-Qaeda and is actively expanding its operations in the south of the country.
The report quotes a local shepherd who survived by hiding with his nine-year-old daughter. He later found 17 bodies with bullet wounds.
Neither the African Union nor a spokesperson for the Malian army provided immediate comments on requests regarding these allegations.
Human Rights Watch called on the Malian authorities to immediately investigate the killings and urged the African Union to take action to help end the conflict and hold those responsible for the crimes accountable.
Mali, a landlocked country, is under significant pressure from jihadist groups, which not only attack state forces but have also recently imposed a fuel blockade, exacerbating the economic and humanitarian crisis in the region.