Reports of serious human rights violations, including forced disappearances and summary executions, are increasingly being leveled against soldiers from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. These national armies are actively engaged in counter-jihadist operations across the Sahel, and the growing allegations have prompted significant concern from the United Nations.
During a recent Security Council video conference focusing on the Sahel, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peace Operations, emphatically stated: “I urge the G5 Sahel Joint Force and its member states to spare no effort” in upholding human rights. This pressing concern has intensified over several months, coinciding with ongoing condemnations of jihadist atrocities and inter-communal violence in the region.
In early April, the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) highlighted a “proliferation” of alleged misconduct attributed to national armed forces. Guillaume Ngefa, director of MINUSMA’s human rights division, confirmed that 101 extrajudicial killings by the Malian army and approximately 30 by the Nigerien army on Malian territory were meticulously documented with names and specific circumstances between January and March.
Mid-May saw the deaths of twelve individuals, arrested on suspicion of complicity with jihadists, within gendarmerie cells in Burkina Faso. Family members and non-governmental organizations allege these were civilians summarily executed, prompting judicial authorities to promise investigations.
– “Very serious allegations” –
Similarly, in Niger, a circulated list from April indicated that 102 people were reportedly killed by the army in the Tillabéri region. While the Defense Ministry lauded the troops’ “professionalism,” it also committed to initiating an inquiry.
Consistently, human rights groups have been releasing lists of names and photographs, lamenting the disappearance of individuals following military operations. A significant number of those who vanish are from the Fulani ethnic group, often unfairly associated with jihadist movements.
An anonymous official from the Malian Fulani association Tabital Pulaaku expressed frustration, stating, “We submit reports, we denounce that so many Fulani have been killed and thrown into a well, or we show the world a mass grave, yet nothing is done afterward.” Abou Sow, president of Tabital Pulaaku, further clarified to the press, “It is undeniable that some Fulani have turned to jihadism, but it is naive to reduce jihadism to a single ethnicity.”
Sahelian governments have generally stood firm in support of their national armies, which, despite often being underequipped and undertrained, bear a heavy burden in the fight against jihadism.
Speaking before the Security Council on behalf of the G5 Sahel (comprising Mauritania, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali), Mauritanian Foreign Minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed affirmed that “achieving full capacity for the Joint Force entails its ability to fully grasp the human rights dimension.” He assured that Mauritania is “undertaking actions to ensure respect for the law.” Echoing this sentiment, Abdou Abarry, Niger’s Ambassador and a non-permanent member of the Council, reiterated, “We fully adhere to human rights,” even as countries like Belgium voiced concern over “very serious allegations.”
– “Related objective” –
Following its meeting on Friday, the Security Council issued a statement acknowledging “measures announced by several Sahel governments in response to these allegations of human rights violations, and encouraging their finalization.”
These accusations against national armies emerge at a critical juncture for the Sahel region.
Firstly, the UN faces skepticism from some Security Council members regarding the scope and effectiveness of its mission in Mali (MINUSMA), which numbered 13,000 personnel in mid-June.
Meanwhile, France re-evaluated the terms of its engagement in the Sahel after 13 French soldiers lost their lives in November.
Despite the presence of French forces, MINUSMA (whose mandate is due for renewal), and the G5 Sahel Joint Force established in 2017, the escalating violence has not been contained, leading to thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands displaced since 2012.
Ibrahim Maïga, from the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Bamako, suggests that “the protection of civilians is only a related objective” compared to the military forces’ “number one priority, which is to neutralize” jihadists.
In May, General Pascal Facon, commander of the French anti-jihadist force, when questioned by the AFP about the alleged abuses by national armies, characterized them as “intolerable” and capable of “posing a problem in terms of the forces’ credibility.”
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