Danguèrè Wotoro massacre
| Danguèrè Wotoro massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Mali War | |
| Location | Danguèrè Wotoro, Niono Cercle, Mali |
| Date | March 1, 2022–March 2, 2022 |
| Deaths | 35 killed (per HRW)[1] 35–37 killed (per locals)[2] |
| Perpetrators |  Malian Army Wagner Group |
On the night between March 1 and March 1, 2022, Malian forces with the aid of Wagner Group killed over three dozen civilians in Danguèrè Wotoro, near Dogofry, Mali.
Prelude
[edit]On February 20, Malian forces began a spike in arrests in the Niono Cercle, with witnesses saying those arrested were returning from a fair.[3] Other locals in the towns of Nampala, Akoumbou, Tangabe, and Dianweli stated that the Malian troops in the area had recently been committing executions, lootings, and arrests.[4]
Massacre
[edit]Little is known about how the massacre actually played out, because the bodies of civilians were only discovered in the town the following morning.[5] The bodies were discovered piled on top of each other, all bound and tied.[5] All of the victims were men, many of whom had been arrested the previous week, and some were shot while others were burned.[5] The victims were all also Fulani, a nomadic group who the Malian army often attributes to jihadist attacks.[4]
Survivors of Malian-Wagner detainment prior to the massacre stated that they were being held in the Diabaly military camp, and were beaten severely.[5] One survivor said he saw the soldiers remove around 30 men from one cell the night before the massacre.[5]
Aftermath
[edit]The Malian government denied any involvement in the massacre, and claimed that mentions of it were "defaming" the government.[6] On March 17, the government banned Radio France Internationale and France 24 for claiming the massacre was perpetrated by the Malian army and Wagner group.[7]
Al-Qaeda-linked Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin claimed responsibility for an attack in Mondoro, stating it was in retribution for the massacre at Danguèrè Wotoro.[8]
Human Rights Watch, MINUSMA, and the locals all accused the Malian Army and Wagner for the attack, with HRW giving a death toll of 35 and RFI claiming 35 to 37 people were killed.[4][5]
References
[edit]- ^ https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/15/mali-new-wave-executions-civilians
- ^ https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20220305-mali-des-charniers-d%C3%A9couverts-dans-le-cercle-de-niono
- ^ "Mali : ce que l'on sait sur le charnier de Niono – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ a b c "Mali: des charniers découverts dans le cercle de Niono". RFI (in French). 2022-03-05. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ a b c d e f "Mali: New Wave of Executions of Civilians". Human Rights Watch. 2022-03-15. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "Observations du Gouvernement de la Republique du Mali sur la projet de rapport de "Human Rights Watch"" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. April 4, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "Au Mali, RFI et France 24 privées d'antenne par le pouvoir". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "Attaque de Mondoro au Mali: les jihadistes du Jnim et Bamako présentent des bilans différents". RFI (in French). 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2023-02-23.