have escalated attacks on civilians, often in retaliation against communities for refusing to join their ranks or allegedly collaborating with government troops, Human Rights Watch said today.
Military leader Ibrahim Traore has pushed for civilians to play a role in fighting the insurgency, recruiting thousands of volunteer army auxiliaries known as Voluntary Disclosure Programme’s and, more recently, requiring civilians to dig defensive trenches.The watchdog documented seven insurgent attacks between February and June that led to at least 128 civilian deaths.Al Qaeda affiliate Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin claimed responsibility for six of the attacks.
Some villagers were killed after authorities forced them to return to areas from which insurgents had evicted them because some had joined the VDPs.ISIS-affiliated Islamic State in the Greater Sahara claimed the February church massacre, which was an apparent retaliation against Christians who did not abandon their religion, according to witnesses.
In a letter, the Justice Minister rejected HRW’s claim that the prosecution of serious crimes had been sluggish since the start of the conflict and said all alleged human rights violations and abuses insurgents had committed were being investigated.
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