Mali: after the army's statements, the CSP rebels deny the existence of a mass grave in Kidal
The Malian army said in a statement on Saturday (November 18th) that it had discovered a mass grave in Kidal on Thursday (November 16th), two days after arriving there. No details were given on its exact location or the number of bodies that were discovered. But the rebels of the Permanent Strategic Framework (PSC), who had left their stronghold of Kidal just before the arrival of the Malian soldiers, denounced on Tuesday evening (November 21st) the "fabricated" accusations.
[File image] An aerial view of Kidal on September 27, 2020. AFP - SOULEYMANE AG ANARA
By: David Baché
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A pure diversion", "intended to hide the horrible massacres committed by the Wagner-Fama terrorist duo": this is how the CSP rebels denounced, in a statement issued on Tuesday 21 November, what they still consider to be a "clumsy manoeuvre" by Bamako.
The CSP itself had accused Malian soldiers and their Wagner auxiliaries of massacres during their advance towards Kidal. Like in Ersane, where 17 civilians were executed and beheaded, according to information cross-checked by RFI. Or in Tonka, where sources within the CSP claim that more than 70 civilians have been shot dead, which RFI has not been able to independently verify.
The rebels add that, in their opinion, "the practice of mass graves" is "habitual" for Malian soldiers and their Russian paramilitary auxiliaries from Wagner. As an example, they recall the military operation in Moura in March 2022, where more than 500 people were executed and buried in mass graves, according to the United Nations and several human rights organizations.
The CSP rebels also cite the Gossi sequence in April 2022, when Mali accused the French Barkhane force, which was in the process of leaving the country, of leaving behind a mass grave. The French army then leaked drone footage revealing a staging orchestrated by Wagner and the Malian army. Bamako reacted by accusing France of espionage.
Telephone networks restored in Kidal, where the Wagner flag is flying
Finally, the rebels denounced the "communication war" of "the junta in power" and judged the Malian justice system to be "selective" and therefore "discredited". In the wake of Bamako's assertions, the Malian judiciary announced the opening of an investigation, entrusted to the specialized unit for the fight against terrorism.
Read alsoWhat security and social strategy for the Malian army in Kidal?
Telephone networks were also restored in Kidal this morning, which several sources were able to confirm by RFI. They had been cut off by CSP rebels in the days before the Malian army arrived in the city. I would add that a video circulated by Wagner mercenaries on social media shows the Wagner Group flag hoisted on the fort in the city of Kidal.
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