Mali: terrorist group releases footage of captured soldiers
The terrorist organisation Azawad Liberation Group (FLA) released footage on July 31, showing more than 200 captured soldiers. According to RFI, the prisoners were captured during the joint attack carried out by the FLA and the al-Qaeda-affiliated JNIM on July 25. Other men were also captured during the siege of the military base in Anefis. Some were additionally taken prisoner during the ambush of a military convoy in Tabrichat, between Anefis and Gao, killing at least 50 soldiers.
The video lasts about 11 minutes and shows dozens of soldiers sitting on the ground. According to the FLA, they captured 208 men, and in the video one of the fighters explains that some of the prisoners are absent as they are receiving medical treatment. The soldiers say they are being well treated, while some praise the military junta led by Assimi Goïta.
The soldiers further add that they ask the junta to find “peaceful solutions” and to “think about them” so that they can come home safely. Other military men have been captured since September 2023, but it is believed that not all of the prisoners are being held in the same facilities.
The FLA declares the aim of the video to be a way of reassuring the families and friends of the prisoners, further adding that the military junta had not taken concrete steps towards their release.
Moreover, the FLA is looking to demonstrate its humanity towards Malian prisoners, particularly following the July 18 attack on a military convoy in Tabrichat, which left dozens dead. Videos were released showing violent and brutal executions, particularly carried out by the JNIM. The FLA declared that it had not taken part in the execution of Malian soldiers, which it said was carried out by the JNIM. The FLA further affirmed that its treatment of prisoners of war is in line with international law and human rights.
The British NGO Amnesty International described these actions as war crimes, further calling on “the Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA) and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), which claimed responsibility for the Tabrichat ambush, to punish those responsible.” Both the Malian army, supported by the Russian paramilitary Africa Corps, and the two terrorist groups have been accused in various instances of human rights abuses.
RFI, France 24, Amnesty International, Maghrebi.org
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