N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 8 / N ° 7 2 7 a
In Central Mali, Civilian Populations Are Caught Between Terrorism and Counterterrorism
Fact-nding Mission Report
Cover Photo:
Screen capture from a propaganda video of the Support Group to Islam and Muslims (GSIM or JNIM – Jamā’at Nusrat al-Islām Wa-l-Muslimīn in Arabic) showing jihadist ghters on motorcycles, in Central Mali, September
2018.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACRONYMS 4MAP OF MALI 5EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6METHODOLOGY 13I. CENTRAL MALI: AN EXPLOSIVE SITUATION 19A. An area of ancient rivalries 19
B. … left to fend for itself in 2012… 23C. … disrupted by the return of the State beginning in 2013… 24D. … targeted by jihadists as an area to “win” 25E. … has become the epicentre of violence in Mali today 29
II. SERIOUS ABUSES BY ALL PARTIES 35
A. By Koufa’s men 35
1. An increasingly pronounced presence 352. A loosely structured organisation 363. A brutal administration 364. Serious abuses 37
Sexual violence: an often-underestimated occurrence 41
5. Men of Katiba Macina get involved in inter-communal violence 45
“We were told that if we left, we would become enemies” 46
B. By armed militias 50
1. A profusion of disparate militias… 502. … supported by the State? 51
C. By the Malian Armed Forces 55
1. Timid return of the military 552. Summary executions 573. Cases of torture and illegal detentions 62
III. WAR CRIMES REQUIRING A JUDICIAL RESPONSE THAT MEETS EXPECTATIONS 67
A. How to dene the crimes committed in the centre of Mali? 67
1. War crimes committed by jihadists and Malian armed forces 682. Serious human rights violations by community militias 69
B. Strengthening the national judicial response to the crimes in the Malian crisis 70
1. What is the situation with the proceedings from the 2012-2013 crisis? 702. A Specialised Judicial Unit to enable the most serious crimes to be prosecuted 713. Protecting Victims and Witnesses 73
C. Do not heed the siren calls for impunity 73
CONCLUSION: CHANGING APPROACH TO RESTORE PEACE IN CENTRAL MALI 77RECOMMENDATIONS 83ANNEX
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