“ Nineteen civilians killed in a French air raid in Mali ”

In early January, at least nineteen civilians were killed in a French air raid in Mali. This is indicated by a UN investigation published by AFP and Reuters news agencies. The survey will be released later today.

The attack took place on January 3 near Bounti in the center of the country. France said radical Islamist militants were targeted and around 30 Islamists had been killed.

Even today, the Ministry of Defense refuses. The French wonder about the way in which the investigation was carried out by the UN. The target of the attack was a group affiliated with al-Qaeda.

According to residents of the area where the air raid took place, the French shot at a wedding party. About a hundred people were reportedly present.

5,000 French soldiers

According to the UN report, produced by the human rights department of the Mali Minusma mission, nineteen people were killed in the airstrike: sixteen civilians and three armed men. Three other civilians are said to have died of their injuries on their way to a first aid post. Over a hundred individual interviews were conducted for the report. In addition, group interviews were held and around 100 telephone conversations were conducted.

France has been active in Mali since 2013 to fight against jihadists. There are more than 5,000 French soldiers in the Sahel region, with the center of gravity in Mali. The Netherlands was also active in Mali, between 2014 and 2019.