New York - Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
A UN report concluded that there are strong indications that more than 500 people were killed by Malian forces and foreign military personnel during a five-day military operation in the village of Mora in central Mali in March 2022.
A fact-finding report issued by the UN Human Rights Office at the end of the week indicated that the majority of those killed were summarily executed (ie without due process).
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk described the report's findings as "extremely disturbing," adding that "summary executions, rape and torture during armed conflict amount to war crimes and, depending on the circumstances, could amount to crimes against humanity." According to what was included in the daily bulletin of the United Nations, of which we received a copy yesterday. It also states that the report is the result of an intense fact-finding mission in the field of human rights conducted by United Nations staff in Mali over a period of several months. The team's requests to access the village of Mora, where the murders took place, were denied by the Malian authorities.
The report is based on interviews with victims and witnesses, as well as forensic and other sources of information, such as satellite imagery.

Massena Battalion
The report details how events unfolded day by day in the village of Mora in the Mopti region, where the operation - described by the authorities as a military counter-terrorism operation against an al-Qaida-affiliated group known as the Macina Brigade - began.
The process began on March 27, 2022, a day that coincides with a busy weekly market in Mora.
Eyewitnesses reported that a military helicopter flew over the village and shot at the people, while four other helicopters landed and soldiers descended and took the people to the center of the village, firing indiscriminately at those trying to flee.
Some of the Macina Brigade fighters who were in the crowd reportedly fired at the troops. At least 20 civilians and scores of individuals allegedly belonging to Katiba Masina were killed.
The report stated that at least 500 people were believed to have been summarily executed over the next four days. The fact-finding team obtained many personal identification details, including the names of at least 238 of these victims.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing "armed white men" speaking an unknown language working alongside Malian forces and occasionally appearing to supervise operations. According to witnesses, Malian forces rotated in and out of Mora on a daily basis, but foreign personnel remained inside the village for the duration of the operation.
One day after the attack, according to the report, soldiers began searching homes for "supposed terrorists," selecting and executing people with long beards, people wearing ankle-length trousers, or who had marks on their shoulders — interpreted as a sign of Those accustomed to carrying weapons, even those who showed signs of fear.
Witnesses told the fact-finding team that soldiers took a group of men who had been arrested in the southeast of the village and shot them in the head, back or chest, and threw their bodies into a ditch. Those who resisted or tried to flee were also executed by the Malian armed forces and "armed white men" and thrown into the pit, according to witnesses.
sexual violence
The report stated that at least 58 women and girls were subjected to rape or other forms of sexual violence. In one horrific case, soldiers reportedly brought a family from a house, placed it under trees in a garden and took turns raping the women.
The report indicated that dozens of other people were arrested. Some detainees were subjected to torture and other ill-treatment during interrogation and in detention in the village of Mora, as well as in the National Authority for State Security in the capital, Bamako.
One of the victims said that he and other detainees were punched, slapped, and kicked in the head, as soldiers called them jihadists, accusing them of killing their brothers and destroying their country. Another victim explained how he was taken to the State Security headquarters, where he was tortured and subjected to electric shocks for hours during his interrogation.

Financial authorities continue to "denial"
The Malian authorities announced an investigation shortly after the attack, but more than a year later, pending the final outcome of the investigation, they continue to deny any wrongdoing by their armed forces.
High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stressed that investigations into such serious reports of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law must be conducted in an independent, impartial and transparent manner, with a view to holding those responsible to account.
Türk stressed the need for the Malian authorities to take all necessary steps to ensure that Malian forces participating in any military and law enforcement operations - including foreign military personnel under their command or control - fully respect the rules of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.