[JURIST] Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] on Tuesday expressed concern [press release] over the increased violence and human rights abuses committed in Mali. Bandits, Islamist armed groups and pro-government militias have reportedly threatened the security of civilians in the central and northern Mali, with little or no action from the government. The advocacy group recounted interviews they recorded with numerous victims and witnesses of the violence, including mayors, sheep herders, drivers and religious leaders. These accounts detail acts of abduction, threats, abuse, theft and extortion. HRW asked armed groups to stop their violence against civilians and urged the Mali government to address the widespread violence and come to the aid of its citizens. According to the West Africa Director at HRW, “The Malian government needs to re-establish its presence in the north so everyone has the basic security needed to go on with their lives.”

Following the armed rising against the Malian government in early 2012, the nation has experienced significant turmoil relating to the exercise of power by the Malian government and opposing forces. In April a UN internal inquiry concluded [JURIST report] that members of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) used “unauthorized and excessive force” resulting in the deaths of three civilian protesters and the injuries of four other individuals in January. Earlier in April the Taureg-led rebels in Mali met with [Reuters report] Algerian mediators to discuss terms of preliminary peace deals, the same deals they rejected last month. Those rebels are currently in fights with French and U.N. troops in northern Mali, seeking autonomy for the Azawad desert region. In March of last year, UN rights experts urged [JURIST report] Mali to strengthen its judicial system due to the difficulty faced in attempting to prosecute war crimes in the nation, and called on MINUSMA to assist. In November 2014 General Amadou Haya Sanogo, the leader of the March 2012 coup, was arrested [JURIST report] on charges of murder, complicity to murder, assassination and kidnapping. In March 2013 Malian Tuareg rebels called on the ICC [JURIST report] to investigate alleged war crimes committed by Malian government forces during the conflict.