Mali: no news from Colonel Sangaré who published a critical book on the army
In Mali, still no news from Colonel Alpha Yaya Sangaré.
This Malian soldier published a book on March 2 entitled
Mali: the challenge of terrorism in Africa
, in which he cited a report by the human rights NGO Human Rights Watch accusing the army of serious abuses.
The same day, he was arrested at his home.
The Human Rights Watch organization, cited by Colonel Sangaré in his work, is concerned about the total lack of information on his situation.
The NGO Human Rights Watch is concerned about the total lack of information on the situation of Colonel Alpha Yaya Sangaré.
(Illustrative image) © REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
By: David Baché
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Several transitional ministers attended the launch of the colonel's book on March 2, before the Malian government suddenly made an about-face.
Realizing only after the fact, according to the official press release released on Saturday, that the book cited a report by the human rights NGO Human Rights Watch accusing the army of serious abuses.
The spokesperson for the transitional government finally “
dissociated
” himself from the publication and denounced “
false accusations
”.
It has now been three days without any news from Colonel Alpha Yaya Sangaré.
“
We were informed by a credible source that the colonel was taken from his home and put into an unmarked vehicle by men in civilian clothes,”
reveals Ilaria Alleggrozi, spokesperson for the Human Rights Watch organization.
Since his disappearance, we have not heard from him.
»
An extra-judicial arrest?
A way of doing things which suggests an extra-judicial arrest by state security, the Malian intelligence services.
On March 2, a military source justified this arrest
without warrant to RFI
, due to the military status of Colonel Alpha Yaya Sangaré.
“
We cannot confirm this
,” explains Ilaria Allegrozzi,
“but we are concerned about his situation and we call on the Malian authorities to reveal where he is being held and to release him, if he is detained by the authorities or the forces. of security.
It doesn't happen every day that a high-ranking member of the security forces denounces violations
[of human rights, editor's note]
by the army,
but Colonel Sangaré showed courage by choosing not to remain silent .
»
“Alleged abuse”
In his book
Mali: the challenge of terrorism in Africa
, Colonel Alpha Yaya Sangaré “
takes a critical assessment of the systems already put in place at the national, regional and continental level, and suggests ways to improve them and make them operational
”, according to the presentation of the book proposed by its publisher.
But certain pages displeased the power in place: Colonel Alpha Yaya Sangaré writes in particular that “
since 2016, the defense and security forces (FDS) have engaged in abuses against people accused of being part of these terrorist groups.
»
This soldier, himself the son of a general and reputed to be close – at least before this affair – to the transitional president, Colonel Assimi Goïta, then cites an investigation carried out by Human Rights Watch reporting testimonies of torture during interrogations.
Colonel Alpha Yaya Sangaré affirms that “
neither the military hierarchy nor the judicial authorities have carried out investigations into these alleged abuses
”.
This is something the Malian transitional government denies in its press release dated March 2, assuring that “
the Fama are well known for their professionalism and humanism
” and that “
the judicial institution spares no effort to carry out its missions
.”
The press release from the government spokesperson also ensures that the book written by this senior officer did not comply with the validation procedure normally planned.
The day before, in a separate press release, the Ministry of Defense assured that Colonel Alpha Yaya Sangaré would be “
subject to the regulations in force
”.
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