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According to a statement released on Thursday, jihadist organisations have grown after January 2023’s widespread “murders,” “rapes,” and “looting” of residents in northern Mali, “forcing thousands of people to flee these regions.” Report from Human Rights Watch.
The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM, or JNIM according to the Arabic acronym), linked to Al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS), who fight to control supply routes and expand their influence, caused a sharp decline in security, according to the human rights organisation.
Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch, warned that armed Islamist groups were “brutally attacking civilians and contributing to a large-scale humanitarian emergency.”
Eight attacks were reported by Human Rights Watch between January and June, six in the Gao region and two in the northeastern Ménaka region, the focus of an ongoing offensive by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS). The NGO claims that these attacks have resulted in “hundreds” of deaths and thousands of evacuees.
The NGO cites eyewitness accounts of fighters who were described as having “assault rifles” and “grenade launchers” and wearing unmistakable turbans while wearing civilian clothing or combat fatigues.
In addition to speaking Arabic and other regional tongues, including Tamashek, Fulfulde, Songhai, and Hausa, they occasionally hoisted the Islamic State flag, according to the witnesses.
The association also voiced worries regarding the decision to withdraw the UN peacekeeping mission (Minusma), which Bamako has called for and which will run for six months until the end of 2023. According to the report, it risks “undermining” efforts to ensure accountability for conflict-related abuses. Ms Allegrozzi calls on the Malian authorities to “redouble their efforts” to protect civilians and to “work closely” with their international partners.
