Mali: 3 French soldiers killed, escalation of violence & UN evidence of war crimes

  • Three French Soldiers Killed in Mali

Three French soldiers were killed in Mali on Monday, 28/12/2020 when their vehicle hit a bomb during operations under France’s counterterrorism mission.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

  • Mali: Any End to the Storm?

According to ACLED, 2020 has been the deadliest year on record in Mali. The situation has deteriorated since 2016, when violence spread to central Mali. This led to an escalation in multi-directional violence through armed attacks, scaled-up military operations, and increased targeting of civilians. A military coup in August 2020 broke the status quo and has provided opportunities to change the country’s downward trajectory. However, Mali’s transitional government faces an uphill battle to build consensus and reign in the violence.

Read more on ACLED

  • UN Report: Evidence of War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity

United Nations investigators into violence in Mali provided evidence that security forces committed war crimes, and fighters and other armed groups perpetrated crimes against humanity between 2012-2018.

Read more on Al Jazeera

  • Soumaila Cissé, leader of the opposition in Mali, has died at the age of 71.

Read more on Rfi.fr

Updates on Western Africa

Mali will host a unit of Greek special forces: report

Greece will send a military unit to Mali to join French forces to carry out operations against jihadist terrorists in an operation seperate from the EU’s missions.  Special Forces personnel will be added to the TAKUBA Operational Force (TF TAKUBA) formed by the French and 50 Estonians.

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British corporate plunder helped provoke the war in Western Sahara

On 13 November 2020, Morocco and the Western Saharan Polisario Front exchanged fire after a 29 year ceasefire. The Moroccan army entered Guerguerat to divert Saharawi peaceful protesters blocking Morocco’s “plunder corridor” to Mauritania.

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Exclusif – Emmanuel Macron : « Entre la France et l’Afrique, ce doit être une histoire d’amour »

Interview with the French President in Jeune Afrique.

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