Increase in jihadist violence against civilians in Mali, according to the UN

The UN mission in Mali warned on Monday that violence against civilians, especially from jihadists but also sectarian militias and the army, is on the increase in this poor Sahel country.

In a quarterly report covering the months of April, May and June, MINUSMA’s human rights division said the Islamists were pushing south.

“Thanks to local ‘non-aggression or reconciliation’ agreements signed under duress by the besieged communities, these groups were also able to impose draconian restrictions on the exercise of fundamental freedoms, especially against women.” , indicates the report.

“Between April and June, at least 527 civilians were killed, wounded or kidnapped / disappeared, an overall increase of more than 25% from the first quarter” of 2021, according to the statement.

The Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) and other jihadist groups such as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) are responsible for 54% of the victims and kidnappings, according to the report.

The Sahel’s largest jihadist alliance, GISM, is linked to Al Qaeda.

The report indicates that the jihadists kidnapped 156 people, mainly people suspected of being informants or relatives of Malian or international forces.

“JNIM and similar groups continued to strengthen their territorial grip, particularly in rural areas of central Mali, with notable expansion” in the south, according to the report.

Women and girls in these areas have been forced to wear the veil or suffer whipping, he added.

He blamed a fifth of the atrocities on militias and vigilantes such as an ethnic Dogon militia called Dan Nan Ambassagou.

The militia controls swathes of territory in central Mali, with officials in the capital Bamako fearing the group could compete with the army.

The report indicates that Dan Nan Ambassagou carried out 54 kidnappings of civilians, demanding ransoms of up to four million CFA francs (approximately 6,100 euros, 7,300 dollars).

Map showing the zones of influence of armed groups in the Sahel. By (AFP)

The Malian army and international forces – UN peacekeepers as well as French and regional armies – are responsible for nine and six percent of atrocities against civilians, according to the report.