GENEVA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The UN Human Rights Office urged Mali's government Tuesday to take necessary steps to prevent more rights violations and abuses after "horrific attacks" which have left at least 153 people dead and 73 injured in the Mopti region.
"Saturday's horrific attacks mark a significant spike in killings in the Mopti region as a result of what has been reported to be violence across communal lines and by so-called self-defense groups attempting to root out violent extremist groups," said Ravina Shamdasani spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Speaking at a UN media briefing here, Shamdasani said the attack in Ogossagou, in central Mali's Mopti region, is the latest in a series of assaults and a cycle of violence.
"It has resulted in some 600 deaths of women, children, and men, as well as thousands of displaced persons since March 2018 in the Mopti region alone," said the UN rights office spokesperson.
Of these, 219 have been killed in the three months since the beginning of this year.
The attacks also follow a pattern of the burning of homes and warehouses, destroying the livelihoods of the whole community.
Survivors of Ogossagou's March 23 attack, mostly people of the Fulani ethnic community, said traditional hunters carried out the deadly lethal raid in the village, apparently using automatic weapons, hunting rifles and other weapons.
"While some of the disputes are rooted in access over land and water, on many occasions the attacks are said to be motivated by a desire to root out individuals linked to violent extremist groups, including Jama'at nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM)," said Shamdasani.
Members of the Fulani community have increasingly been targeted.
"These crimes have gone unpunished. Some investigations have been established by the authorities, but they largely fail to result in trials," said Shamdasani.
The UN rights office noted that the Mali government had dissolved the Dan Nan Ambassagou militia, composed of Dogon traditional hunters, accused of having committed some of these atrocities.
"We urge prompt investigations of the alleged crimes committed by all groups," said Shamdasani.
A team of human rights officers, a child protection officer and two UN Police crime scene investigators of the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) has been deployed to Mopti to conduct a special investigation into the attacks.
