mali conflict and aftermath

182 Pages·2017·14.39 MB·English

H U M A N
MALI CONFLICT AND AFTERMATH
R I G H T S
Compendium of Human Rights Watch Reporting, 2012-2017
W A T C H

Mali Conflict and Aftermath
Compendium of Human Rights Watch Reporting
2012-2017
Copyright © 2017 Human Rights Watch
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
Cover design by Rafael Jimenez

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For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org
Mali Conflict and Aftermath
Compendium of Human Rights Watch Reporting, 2012-2017

Human Rights Watch extensively investigated the human rights situation in Mali during the
2012-2013 armed conflict, the accompanying political upheaval, and the southward spread of
Islamist armed group activity from 2015 to 2017. This document contains much of Human
Rights Watch’s reporting and analysis during that period. In our advocacy we called on all sides
to abide by international humanitarian law—the laws of war—and urged Mali’s government to
take concrete steps with the assistance of its international supporters to address the
conditions that led to the crisis. Key among them are strengthening the rule of law, holding
rights abusers to account, and addressing endemic corruption. Human Rights Watch’s work on
Mali is also available on our website: http://www.hrw.org/africa/mali

Map of Mali ....................................................................................................................... I

2017
Mali: Islamist Group Abuses, Banditry Surge
January 18, 2017 – Press Release ............................................................................................. 2
World Report 2017: Mali – Events of 2016
January 2017 – Country Chapter .............................................................................................. 18

2016
Mali: ‘Red Berets’ Trial Marks Progress in Tackling Impunity
November 29, 2016 – Statement ............................................................................................. 23
ICC: Clear Message on Attacking World’s Treasures
September 27, 2016 – Statement ............................................................................................ 25
Confronting Mali’s New Jihadist Threat
May 9, 2016 – Commentary (Op-Ed, New York Times) ............................................................. 26
Mali: Abuses Spread South
February 19, 2016 – Press Release ......................................................................................... 29
World Report 2016: Mali – Events of 2015
January 2016 – Country Chapter .............................................................................................. 44

2015
Mali: Lawlessness, Abuses Imperil Population
April 14, 2015 – Press Release ................................................................................................ 48
World Report 2015: Mali – Events of 2014
January 2015 – Country Chapter .............................................................................................. 61

2014
Mali: Justice Crucial to Peace Talks
November 10, 2014 – Press Release ....................................................................................... 66
Mali: Establish Special Investigation Cell
June 25, 2014 – Press Release ................................................................................................. 71
Letter to Justice Minister: On Creation of Special Investigative Cell
June 25, 2014 – Letter ............................................................................................................. 73
Human Rights Watch Statement on Allegations of Grave Abuse in Kidal (Mali)
May 19, 2014 – Statement....................................................................................................... 77
Mali: Give Malians Say in Truth Commission
March 10, 2014 – Press Release .............................................................................................. 78
World Report 2014: Mali – Events of 2013
January 2014 – Country Chapter ............................................................................................. 80

2013
Mali: New Government at Crossroads
September 3, 2013 – Press Release ........................................................................................ 84
Letter to President Keita: Addressing Human Rights Issues
September 3, 2013 – Letter .................................................................................................... 86
HRW Statement on Completion of Presidential Elections
August 12, 2013 – Statement .................................................................................................. 93
Mali: New Abuses by Tuareg Rebels, Soldiers
June 7, 2013 – Press Release .................................................................................................. 94
Mali: Soldiers Torture Detainees in Léré
March 26, 2013 – Press Release ............................................................................................. 99
Mali: Prosecute Soldiers for Abuses
February 21, 2013 – Press Release ........................................................................................ 103
Mali: Malian Army, Islamist Groups Executed Prisoners
February 1, 2013 – Press Release .......................................................................................... 108
Mali: Islamists Should Free Child Soldiers
January 15, 2013 – Press Release .......................................................................................... 112
World Report 2013: Mali – Events of 2012
January 2013 – Country Chapter ............................................................................................. 115

2012
Mali: Rising Ethnic Tensions Threaten New Violence
December 20, 2012 – Press Release ...................................................................................... 119
Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Subcommittee on African Affairs
December 5, 2012 – Statement ............................................................................................. 127
Mali: Islamist Armed Groups Spread Fear in North
September 25, 2012 – Press Release ..................................................................................... 138
Mali: Security Forces ‘Disappear’ 20, Torture Others
July 25, 2012 – Press Release ................................................................................................ 155
Mali: War Crimes by Northern Rebels
April 30, 2012 – Press Release .............................................................................................. 161

Map of Mali

© 2013 United Nations

I HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | FEBRUARY 2017
Mali: Islamist Group Abuses, Banditry Surge
Killings, Repression, Insecurity Imperil Civilians in North, Central Region

January 18, 2017 – Press Release
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/01/18/mali-islamist-group-abuses-banditry-surge

Soldiers attend to wounded and casualties in the aftermath of a suicide bomb attack in Gao, northern Mali,
that left over 50 dead on January 18, 2017. The attack targeted a camp grouping soldiers, former rebels and
pro-government militia tasked with leading the joint patrols established in the 2015 peace agreement. Al
Mourabitoun, an affiliate of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), took responsibility for the attack.
© 2017 STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images

(Nairobi) – Islamist armed groups in northern and central Mali have executed numerous people
and are increasingly imposing restrictions on village life, Human Rights Watch said today. The
Malian government has largely been unable to protect vulnerable civilians in northern and
central Mali, while security forces summarily executed at least 10 suspected Islamists and
tortured many others during counterterrorism operations in 2016.

In addition to abuses by the Islamist armed groups, civilians have suffered from bloody
intercommunal clashes and surges in banditry. Despite a 2015 peace accord ending Mali’s
2012-2013 armed conflict, signatories have failed to implement many of its key provisions,
notably the disarmament of thousands of combatants. United Nations peacekeeper fatalities
MALI CONFLICT AND AFTERMATH 2