BAMAKO, May 4 (NNN-XINHUA) — A preliminary report following a UN investigation in Mali said that the recent organized attacks on a village where at least 157 people were killed was similar to attacks by hunter groups against other Fulani communities.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali on Thursday released the preliminary findings of a special fact-finding mission to investigate the serious human rights violations in Ogossagou region in the Mopti area that occurred on March 23, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“During the attack that day, attackers killed at least 157 members of the Fulani community,” Dujarric said.
“The planned, organized, and coordinated attacks on the Peule part of Ogossagou village was in the context of many other similar attacks by traditional hunter groups against Fulani communities.”
The secretary-general’s special representative for Mali, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, said he was deeply shocked by the cruelty of the horrendous acts committed against the civilian population, especially women and children, the spokesman said.
“He said the perpetrators of such atrocities must be held accountable for their actions in court.”
According to the Human Rights and Protection Division of the peacekeeping mission, the impunity enjoyed by the self-defense groups for some time in central Mali has further fueled the cycle of violence and human rights abuses committed against civilian populations, Dujarric said. — NNN-XINHUA
