Several hundred people were shot dead in the town of Moura, central Mali, in late March, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). Witnesses say they were killed by Malian soldiers and – say several sources – Russian mercenaries.
This is not the first time such atrocities have occurred. Investigate Europe has cross-checked public databases and found at least three cases of Malian army battalions previously trained by the EU that were later involved in abuses against civilians. (It is not known if the Malian soldiers in Moura were trained by the EU.)
Malian soldiers have been receiving training and support from the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) for almost a decade, since 2013. Since the military coup in 2012, Mali has been experiencing instability, particularly in the north of the country where Tuareg secessionists, allied with Islamists, have been fighting against the government, leading to the displacement of Malians from the region.
