Ivory Coast army chief-of-staff Soumaila Bakayoko (L) and
Malian army chief-of-staff Ibrahima Dahirou Dembele (C)
inspect Malian troops at an air base in Bamako. REUTERS/Joe
Penney
Ivory Coast army chief-of-staff Soumaila Bakayoko (L) and
Malian army chief-of-staff Ibrahima Dahirou Dembele (C)
inspect Malian troops at an air base in Bamako. REUTERS/Joe
Penney
The International Criminal Court has launched an
investigation into suspected war crimes in Mali, its chief
prosecutor said, as French forces launched a ground assault
against Islamist rebels.
Islamists, some allied with al Qaeda, seized control of vast
parts of northern Mali last year, raising concerns about
human rights abuses and fears that the West African country
could become a base for militant attacks in the region and
beyond.
"Since the beginning of the armed conflict in January 2012,
the people of northern Mali have been living in profound
turmoil," ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement.
"At each stage during the conflict, different armed groups
have caused havoc and human suffering through a range of
alleged acts of extreme violence. I have determined that some
of these deeds of brutality and destruction may constitute
war crimes."
Bensouda said she would investigate crimes including murder,
mutilation, torture and rape, as well as executions conducted
without a judgment from an established court.
PROTECTED OBJECTS
Human rights groups have long demanded an ICC investigation.
"The ICC's decision to open an investigation in Mali sends an
important message to all forces including separatist rebels,
Islamist fighters, government soldiers, and foreign troops
that serious human rights abuses will not go unpunished,"
said Corinne Dufka of Human Rights Watch.
She said the ICC team would need strong backing from its
member countries, given the difficult environment. ICC judges
have in the past said the difficulties of operating in
remote, dangerous regions have limited the scope of
investigations.
Bensouda said the investigation would also cover
"intentionally directing attacks against protected objects",
a reference to the destruction by Islamists of traditional
Sufi shrines in the ancient caravan town of Timbuktu - acts
reminiscent of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The investigation will focus on crimes committed since
January 2012 in the three northern regions of Mali, Bensouda
said.
"There is still turmoil in North Mali and populations there
continue to be at risk of yet more violence and suffering,"
she said.
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