Displaying items by tag: Mali

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced Al-Hassan Mahmoud to ten years in prison for war crimes committed during his tenure as head of the Islamic police in Timbuktu, Mali. He was found guilty of torture, overseeing public amputations, and organising brutal floggings, including of children, under the al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine group, which seized the city in 2012. The presiding judge described the sentence as ‘proportionate to the gravity of the crimes’, acknowledging the harm caused to victims. However, Al-Hassan was acquitted of charges of rape and sexual slavery: the ICC acknowledged that sexual violence had occurred, but said he was not directly responsible. Rights groups expressed disappointment, noting testimonies of women being raped in detention. In 2016 the ICC sentenced another Ansar Dine member to nine years for destroying Timbuktu’s ancient shrines.

Ukraine has criticised Mali's decision to sever diplomatic ties, calling it short-sighted and hasty. This decision followed comments from Ukraine's military spy agency about the recent clashes in northern Mali, where Tuareg rebels claimed responsibility for killing 84 Russian Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers. This was Wagner's most significant defeat since assisting Mali's military against insurgent groups two years ago. Ukraine denied involvement, stating no evidence was provided. After the spy agency mentioned that rebels had received ‘necessary’ information for the attack, Mali interpreted this as an admission of Ukraine's involvement, condemning it as a violation of sovereignty and support for terrorism. Senegal summoned Ukraine’s ambassador over related accusations. These events occur amid deteriorating relations between the West and Sahel nations, which have expelled French and US forces and turned to Russian mercenaries for security following recent military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

Around forty people were killed by unidentified armed men in a village in central Mali on 1 July. The attack, which occurred during a wedding, caused panic and forced many to flee. Survivors reported the attackers surrounded the village and opened fire. No group has claimed responsibility, but groups linked with al-Qaeda and IS have been active since 2015. They have seized territory, making parts of the country ungovernable. Despite promises to tackle insecurity, Mali’s military government, which took power in a 2020 coup, has struggled to control the violence. It has also been accused of human rights abuses. The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali ended its deployment last December, in a pullout ordered by the government.

Attacks by jihadi rebels in central Mali have killed 132 civilians, showing that Islamic extremist violence is spreading from Mali’s north to more central areas. For several weeks rebels have been blocking the road between Gao in the north and Mopti in central Mali. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali is concerned by the extremist attacks against civilians in the Bandiagara region that have caused casualties and displaced populations. In a separate incident, a U.N. peacekeeper died from injuries sustained from an improvised explosive device. Since the beginning of 2022, several attacks have killed U.N. uniformed peacekeepers. Attacks on peacekeepers constitute war crimes. The U.N. peacekeeping mission began after France went there to remove rebels who were capturing cities and major towns the year before (2014). They currently have 12,000 troops, 2,000 police and other officers in Mali. Over 270 peacekeepers have died in the U.N.’s deadliest peacekeeping mission.

When Fr Pier Luigi Maccalli, now 59, was kidnapped two years ago by unknown armed men from his parish of Bamoanga, it left the communities he had served for 11 years in shock. Now he is understood to have been freed in northern Mali with four other hostages also held by Islamist extremists. The new Malian transitional government met the hostages. Their release, and that of some suspected militants, fuelled expectations of an imminent prisoner swap. It is not clear if ransoms were paid.

Mali was under French colonial rule until early 1959, when it assumed independence. However, France has 5,500 troops there working to keep the peace. Now France’s defence minister has said they will boost its military presence in the area to counter increasing violence carried out by armed groups. 600 additional troops will be deployed by March. On 14 February at least 40 people were killed in Ogossagou, the Fulani village that was targeted in a massacre of 160 people last year by Dogon militiamen. Huts and crops were set alight, livestock burned or taken away, and 28 people are missing. Clashes between the Dogon and Fulani ethnic groups are frequent, compounding a dire security situation in Mali's semi-arid and desert regions, where attacks by armed groups are common. See also

Between 100 - 135 people were slaughtered by heavily-armed Islamist extremists in a mainly-Christian village in the Mopti region of central Mali. Barnabas Fund described it as the ‘worst Mali massacre since 1946’. The jihadists encircled the isolated village of ethnic Dogon people at night and set fire to ‘everything’ in a ‘well-targeted attack’. All the victims were shot dead or burnt to death; some were charred beyond recognition, making it difficult to identify them. They set fire to all who ran and all who did not dare to go out. Only a few men escaped the gunfire. A survivor said, `About 50 heavily armed men arrived on motorbikes and pickups, surrounded the village and then killed anyone who tried to escape. No-one was spared – women, children and elderly.’ Since 2018 many Christians have been killed, abducted or forced to flee, with churches ransacked in an attempt to establish sharia law.

Dogon gunmen recently surrounded a community of Fulani herders in Mali and murdered over 130 men, women, and children with guns and machetes. The village was left in smouldering ruins. Ethnic and jihadist violence has spun out of control. In fact, UN ambassadors were in Mali to discuss the crisis when the massacre took place. Since a 2015 peace agreement, ethnic groups have continued to resort to violence to settle their differences. Islamic militants take advantage of the chaos, securing safe havens and new recruits. Hundreds of lives have been lost as the violence has escalated. Dogon hunters and semi-nomadic Fulani herders fight over access to land and water. The Dogon also accuse Fulanis of ties to jihadist groups. The Fulanis say Mali's military arms the hunters to attack them. Less than 10% of citizens have heard of Jesus. However no nation is a lost cause. See

A church leader in Mali reports, ‘Our churches and chapels are now being targeted by extremists, who have told Christians not to gather to pray’. In September and October, extremists ransacked and burned several churches in Mopti region. One congregation who were driven out of the building were told they would be killed if they were seen praying. In 2012, Tuareg separatists and Islamist groups linked to Al Qaeda seized control of northern Mali and declared the region an Islamic state. The new regime imposed sharia law in Timbuktu, including punishments such as amputations for theft. France deployed soldiers to assist the government against advancing Islamists, and a UN force of 13,000 military personnel is now stationed there. Violence continues despite a peace deal with rebel groups. In the first half of 2017 over 42,000 civilians joined those already internally displaced in Mali.