Mali: 'despicable' killing of nearly 100 villagers condemned

Call for investigation into lethal violence in Sobame Da which left dozens dead

Central Mali has been riven by ethnic violence for months

Following the reported unlawful killings of nearly 100 people in an attack on a village in central Mali, Marie-Evelyne Petrus Barry, Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Director, has condemned the killings as “despicable”. She said: 

“This despicable killing of civilians shows a total and utter contempt for human life. 

“The growing unrest and subsequent violence reported in the centre of the country are characterised by killings, enforced disappearances and burning of villages, on an appalling scale.  
 
“The authorities should immediately investigate these unlawful killings and bring those responsible to justice.
 
“This month’s United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in Mali should put the protection of civilians at the heart of its discussions by taking steps to renewing the mandate of the MINUSMA.”

Dogon ethnic group

There have been multiple media reports today indicating that nearly 100 people were killed in an attack yesterday on Sobame Da village in central Mali inhabited by the Dogon ethnic group. 

The centre of Mali has been the scene of deadly violence for more than a year. In March, a deadly attack was perpetrated against the “Fulani” village of Ogossagou, during which more than 150 people were killed, including women and children, and many others wounded.