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Mali has faced two military coups between August 2020 and May 2021, against a background of persistent unrest during the past decade due to terrorism and the failure by ex-president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to appease the situation. The country has entered a military transition. Massive human rights violations have been taking place, mainly in northern Mali. Killings of civilians in communal violence have increased. The security situation is critical, with armed groups carrying out murderous attacks against civilians, including children. The Malian security forces have also committed hundreds of extrajudicial killings, with many reports of torture and ill-treatment.
Although the International Criminal Court confirmed in 2019 the charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including torture, rape, forced marriage and sexual slavery against members of armed groups, few trials have taken place at the national level, and convictions have been even rarer. Many judicial procedures initiated years ago against members of armed groups for sexual violence are still at the investigation stage.
The OMCT is particularly concerned about violence against women in the country, whether it is perpetrated in the family, in the community or by public officials. The situation of migrants transiting in northern Mali is also worrisome, as they face torture and ill-treatment on their route to Libya and Europe.