There has been a surge in the killing of civilians in Mali by soldiers and jihadists, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.
The rights body said at least 107 civilians – including traders, village chiefs and children – had been killed in central and south-western Mali since December.
Soldiers have been blamed for at least 71 civilian deaths over the period while jihadists were linked to 36 deaths. HRW called it a “dramatic spike” and said it needed to be investigated.
Mali’s army has in the past been accused of human rights abuses but denied the allegations. Foreign troops are in the process of exiting the country that is currently run by a military junta that ousted the president in 2020.
Mali’s conflict between the army, ethnic militants and jihadists has been going on for a decade.
Thousands have been killed in the conflict.
