Mali judiciary opens investigation following mass grave discovery in former rebel stronghold

By Aurore Bonny

DOUALA, Cameroon (AA) - An investigation has been opened in Mali following the discovery of a mass grave in Kidal, a northern town formerly under rebel control and now in the hands of the army, the prosecutor of this West African republic announced in a statement made public on Tuesday.

"The Malian Defense and Security Forces (FAMAs) discovered a mass grave in Kidal during their security operations," recalled Amadou Bocar Toure, the public prosecutor of the judicial pole specialized in the fight against terrorism and transnational crime, in a note dated Monday and made public on Tuesday.

This reminder follows the events reported on Thursday by the Malian army. According to Toure, an investigation has been opened to shed light on the matter and identify and arrest the perpetrators, co-perpetrators and accomplices.

They will have to "answer for their actions before the courts," he added.
He accused "a seriousness of facts revealed and likely to constitute alleged offenses of acts of terrorism and human rights violations, in particular war crimes and crimes against humanity."

This macabre discovery came in the context of the Malian army's historic hold on the town of Kidal, which has remained a rebel separatist stronghold since 2012 and under the yoke of terrorism.

"The fact that the public prosecutor is taking on this case is very useful. However, some dispute the existence of this mass grave and believe it to be possibly false and manipulation by the Malian army and, therefore, by the transitional government. The investigation results will enable us to make a more definitive statement," said Regis Hounkpe, a pan-African geopolitics expert contacted by Anadolu.

He explained that it is up to the public prosecutor to get to the bottom of the case, which he considered to be a crime against humanity more than a war crime.

"But the fact remains that this territory in particular, and northern Mali in general, has been doomed to the hands of armed terrorist groups, so anything is possible. In this type of terrorist act, we can include rebels who are against the government as well as other armed terrorist groups," he added.

For Hounkpe, it is necessary to wait for the courts and international organizations to rule.

"This is a crime against humanity, given that we also need the UN and an independent international justice system to closely examine what happened," he said.