UN investigators into political violence in Mali reported to the Security Council that they found evidence that government forces have committed "war crimes," while jihadists and other armed groups perpetrated "crimes against humanity." The allegations are made in a 338-page report compiled by the International Commission of Inquiry, a three-member panel examining events in Mali over the six years after it spiralled into conflict in 2012. The Commission was created in January 2018 as part of the Agreement for Peace & Reconciliation between rebels and the government, which was signed in 2015 after years of fighting. The report, which has not yet been made public, recommends establishing a special court to try accused perpetrators. (France24, Dec. 23)

The report's recommendations are being met with some wariness in Mali. Pape Diallo, an activist with the opposition June 5 Movement-Rally of Patriotic Forces (M5-RFP), called for foreign militaries operating in the country to be covered in the scope of the investigation—including France. If France is not also investigated, Diallo said it would raise "questions of double standards that...highlight the very dubious intentions of the international community in the management and final resolution of the crisis in Mali." (TRT World)

See our last post on war crimes in Mali.