The Malian army and its Russian auxiliaries guilty of abuses in the Nara area
The Malian army has categorically rejected any involvement in the mass grave discovered near Dogofry, where around thirty bodies were found.
© Agnes COUDURIER / AFP
Text by: David Baché
4 mins
Since the end of December and the arrival of Russian auxiliaries, the Malian army has multiplied field operations and has shown impressive results in its fight against EIGS, the Islamic State Group in the Greater Sahara, and Jnim, the support for Islam and Muslims.
But many sources consider these assessments very exaggerated and denounce abuses on civilians.
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RFI found around ten direct victims of this violence and collected their testimonies on the abuse inflicted by the Malian army with, in some cases, the involvement of Russian fighters.
For security reasons, their names and voices have been changed.
This is a two episode exclusive series.
A look back at the operations carried out by the Malian army in the regions of Ségou and Koulikouro.
In Mali, the national army and jihadist groups are engaged in a merciless struggle.
The French Barkhane and European Takuba forces have announced their departure from the country, due to numerous disagreements with the transitional authorities.
The Malian armed forces, Fama, and their new Russian allies – mercenaries from the Wagner group, according to several Western countries – “instructors” invited within the framework of state-to-state cooperation, according to Bamako, therefore find themselves in front line against EIGS and Jnim, linked to al-Qaeda.
Nara, Guiré, in the Koulikouro region, but also Diabaly, Niono, in the Ségou region: in this space close to the Mauritanian border, the Katiba Macina of Jnim subjects the inhabitants to daily terror.
And even, in some cases, to a form of blockade.
The Malian army is therefore increasing its operations there.
But in the village of Yacouba Dicko, the arrival of Malian soldiers was not seen as a liberation.
“
They were about forty, three vehicles, a few motorcycles and everything else on foot.
There were a lot of white people with them.
Not Tuaregs, not Arabs, whites.
They spoke among themselves a language that I did not know.
It wasn't French.
They had very clear military uniforms
, ”recalls Yacouba Dicko.
►Also read: Clashes between jihadists and Fama in central Mali, the Wagner group involved?
“
Immediately, they started shooting in all directions.
Most of the inhabitants, out of fear, had fled into the bush.
Me, I was hidden nearby and I watched, because relatives of mine, too old to flee, had stayed.
They set fire to all the houses.
The old people who remained were shot or burned in their homes.
»
Alassane Barry lives in another village of Fulani farmers and herders which also received a visit from Malian soldiers. “
They arrived around midnight.
They surrounded the village, and it was early in the morning that they entered.
Right away, they broke down the doors of the houses.
They took things out, they arrested or killed several people.
The Malian soldiers were accompanied by whites, who had outfits of a different color.
There were more than thirty vehicles
,” says Alassane Barry.
“
The whites who were with the Malian soldiers participated in everything.
They stole jewelry, money, and even our fertilizer stocks from homes.
They didn't take the food from the village, but just outside they came across a young man who was going to sell his rice: they took everything from him and killed him.
»
Since the end of December, in its press releases, the Malian army has claimed 129 neutralized jihadists and several dozen arrests in the areas of Nara, Guiré, Diabaly and the surrounding localities.
Weapons, motorcycles, cattle, cereals or fertilizer are also among the announced catches.
►Also read:
Mondoro attack in Mali, the jihadists of Jnim and Bamako present different results
Mahmoud Sow exhumed the bodies from a mass grave discovered near his village.
“
They were people arrested a few days earlier at a market.
People we know very well: a doctor, a deputy mayor, big cattle sellers, including two Mauritanians… People well known in the area, who have nothing to do with the jihadists.
A few days after their arrest, someone discovered a grave.
We went.
We dug up several bodies, we recognized some of the people arrested.
Individual graves were made for them
.
»
On March 2,
a mass grave was discovered near Dogofry
, with around thirty charred bodies.
Many local sources accuse the Malian army, which has categorically denied, announced the opening of an investigation, and denounced allegations "
likely to discredit the Fama
".
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