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9 civilians killed in attack on northern Mali town

Malian soldiers patrol in Kidal, northern Mali. (AFP)

At least nine people have been killed in an attack on a town in northern Mali, with both anti-government rebels and the government blaming the deaths on the other.

The Coordination of Azawad Movements, led by Tuareg rebels and known by the French acronym CMA, said on Friday the Malian army had "conducted the summary and public executions of nine people in the town of Tin Hama" on the previous day.

Moussa Ag Mohamedoune, a 35-year-old worker for the charity Action Against Hunger Spain, and a 13-year-old boy were among the victims announced by the CMA.

The government, however, dismissed the claims in a statement and attributed the killings to a "bloody settling of scores between armed groups belonging to the locality."

Accusing the CMA of killing civilians, the administration said it was "surprised" by allegations of abuses committed by military forces, adding that the government "strongly condemns these unfortunate acts against innocent people."

Also on Friday, the United Nations voiced concern about the "alarming escalation" of violence in the West African nation.

The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) said it had dispatched investigators to probe the "disturbing reports of serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law."

The UN has worked to bring back stability to Mali over the past months.

The three main rebel groups -- the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUC), and the Arab Movement of Azawad (MAA) -- signed a ceasefire deal with the government on May 23, 2014, which was followed by a cessation of hostilities in February this year.

On May 15, 2015, Mali’s government and several armed groups signed a peace accord in a ceremony attended by a number of heads of state, but missing the crucial backing of the main Tuareg-led rebel groups.

Tuaregs took control of northern Mali, which they call Azawad, in January 2012. The country has witnessed months of turmoil ever since.

On March 22 the same year, President Amadou Toumani Touré was toppled in a military coup. The coup leaders said the ouster of Touré was in response to the government’s failure to contain the Tuareg rebellion in the north, where the rebels are fighting to gain autonomy.

MSM/AS/MHB


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