DAKAR (Reuters) -At least 50 civilians were killed and more than 500 arrested during a military operation conducted by Mali’s army and “foreign troops” on April 19, the United Nations said in a report on Wednesday.
The alleged massacre took place on market day in Hombori municipality, in the central region of Douentza, after a Mali military convoy hit an improvised explosive device.
The victims included a woman and a child, the U.N.’s peacekeeping mission MINUSMA said in a quarterly report on human rights violations between April and June.
Mali’s military spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.N. has repeatedly accused Malian soldiers of summarily executing civilians and suspected militants over the course of their decade-long fight against groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
The military has in some cases acknowledged that its forces were implicated in executions and other abuses, but few soldiers have faced criminal charges.
(Reporting by Sofia ChristensenAdditional reporting by Aaron RossEditing by James Macharia Chege)
