By OHCHR,
The United Nations said it was “deeply concerned” about a surge in intercommunal violence in central Mali that has killed hundreds of people since the start of the year.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission in the country, Minusma, says at least 289 civilians have been killed in almost 100 documented incidents, the vast majority – some 77 percent – in the Mopti region.
The violence highlights the fragile security situation in the West African nation as it prepares to hold presidential elections on July 29.
“In recent weeks, U.N. human rights staff in the country have documented an alarming trend of civilians being driven from their homes, either after being directly targeted themselves, because of the community they belong to, or after deadly attacks on members of their community in neighbouring villages,” wrote the spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in a statement on Tuesday, July 17.
Violence has increased over the past three years in central Mali between nomadic Fulani herders and Bambara and Dogon farmers, sparked by accusations of Fulani grazing cattle on Dogon land and disputes over access to land and water.
Minusma said it has recently documented an escalation of attacks allegedly carried out by armed Dozos hunters and militias, who are linked to the Dogon ethnic group, against Fulani herders.
“These attacks are said to be motivated by a desire to root out individuals linked to the violent extremist group Jama’at nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM),” the OHCHR said, adding: “In reality, they have increasingly been indiscriminately targeting members of the Fulani community.”
JNIM is a fusion of three Malian jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda. Also known as the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), the group has been behind several high profile attacks against domestic and foreign forces since forming last year.
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