Amnesty International has called for a war crimes investigation into the reported killings of at least 19 Malian soldiers by members of armed groups after an ambush on July 18.
Incident Details
The attack occurred in northern Mali between the town of Anefis and the city of Gao, according to statements from Mali’s armed forces, the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), and the al Qaeda-linked group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).
Amnesty said it analyzed 12 videos of the incident which were shared on social media and on a Telegram channel associated with the Russian paramilitary Wagner.
“It is clear that the soldiers were hors de combat before being subjected to ill-treatment and killed in execution style,” said Ousmane Diallo, Amnesty’s senior researcher on the Sahel.
International Response
The U.N. human rights office has also called for an investigation into the incident, saying it could amount to a war crime.
Mali’s military released a statement appearing to play down the incident, but acknowledged that the execution of individuals who have been captured or rendered hors de combat constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law and may be classified as a war crime.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
