From local sources, a mass grave containing seven bodies was found on Wednesday July 20, at 20 km northeast of the town of Anefis in the Kidal region.
“There is a mass grave and graves in places,” said a local source, pointing out that there are certainly links with the recent violence between armed groups amidst community tensions.
“For the mass grave, it’s only one. For the, graves, I do not know the number. People are discovering them in places,” says another source.
Confirming the information, a local UN mission official says that bodies are hardly identifiable. “Only, some could be through their clothes or outfits by the inhabitants”, adds the same source.
After the violence in recent weeks, the Minusma human rights division has drawn up a list of those allegedly arrested by both sides and whose families fear their execution. “If we can identify the victims and their names are on our lists, we can deduce who did what,” says a UN source.
In Kidal, northern Mali, clashes between signatory groups of the agreement resumed last week. Several days before, numerous acts of kidnapping and assassination were reported in the region between the Idnane, the majority composing the MNLA (Azawad National Liberation Movement) and Imghad, mainly in the Gatia Imghad defense and allies) communities.
Aboubacar Dicko