He calls for justice against those responsible and alludes to the fact that the fight against terrorism does not justify “massive” human rights violations
May 16. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The High Representative for Foreign Policy of the EU, Josep Borrell, has demanded this Tuesday that the transitional authorities of Mali carry out an “independent” and “impartial” investigation into the “unjustifiable” killing of more than 500 people in the town of Moura, located in the Mopti region (center), in March 2022.
“The EU calls on the Malian transitional authorities to clarify these events through an independent, impartial, effective and exhaustive judicial investigation and to bring to justice all those responsible for the abuses,” it said in a statement.
In this sense, he has valued the recent UN report, which points to the Army as responsible for the massacre, in which mercenaries from the Wagner Group, owned by the Russian oligarch, Yevgeni Prigozhin, close to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
The United Nations report, according to Borrell, confirms “the multiple abuses and violations of Human Rights,” as well as Humanitarian Law. “The violence perpetrated by state forces and members of the Wagner group against the civilian population, as documented in the report, is unjustifiable,” she added.
Finally, Borrell stressed that the fight against terrorism “can never justify massive violations of Human Rights.” “Impunity must be fought severely and with the utmost urgency”, he has settled her.
The military junta that governs Mali rejected last Saturday the United Nations report, which spoke of “firm indications” of the participation of the Army in the massacre, and announced the opening of an investigation for espionage against the UN mission for obtaining of satellite images without authorization.
The military operation launched by Bamako targeted the Macina Front, linked to the branch of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda in the country, and was launched on March 27, 2022, when a military helicopter flew over Moura before opening fire on the population.
After that, dozens of soldiers arrived at the scene in another four helicopters and surrounded those present in the center of the village, shooting at those who tried to escape. Faced with this situation, several members of the terrorist group present at the scene opened fire on the military.
The situation led to combat that resulted in the death of about 20 civilians and twelve presumed members of the Macina Front. Over the next four days, around 500 people were executed by the Malian Army, with 238 victims already identified.
