The Malian Government has issued a press release debunking attribution of an arbitrary execution attributed to its army, Forces Armées Maliennes, (FAMAs) portrayed in a video that has gone viral online.
The Statement debunking the video was issued on Saturday July 12, following a massive outrage from human rights organisations operating in the country and the international community. The video depicts hooded women with children on their backs being executed by members of a regular military force.
The action which was described as horrendous is attributed to the military of La Republique du Cameroun (LRC) fighting Boko Haram in the Far North. LRC’s Communication Minister and Government Spokesman, Issa Tchiroma Bakary had refuted allegations, attributing it to the Sahelian country.
Reacting to the gruesome killings, Malian authorities point out that it “is the same footage which has sparked a heated debate in a Central African country attributing these deeds to Mali’s Armed Forces,” while stating that it is a ploy to soil the image of their nation and destabilise internal activities within their territory.
LRC Carried-out the Extrajudicial Killings Amnesty Int’l
Meantime, the human rights non-governmental organisation, Amnesty International, AI, has said credible evidence shows that the LRC military personnel is responsible for the shocking extrajudicial executions caught on video in the Far North
Region.
An investigation by their experts, according to them, gathered credible evidence that it was LRC soldiers in the video carrying out the horrific extrajudicial execution of two women and two young children.
Extensive analysis of the weapons, dialogue and uniforms that feature on the video, according to AI, paired with digital verification techniques and testimonies taken from the ground, all strongly suggest that the perpetrators of the executions are LRC soldiers.
“The Camerounian authorities’ initial claim that this shocking video is fake simply doesn’t stand up for scrutiny. We can provide credible evidence to the contrary. Given the gravity of these horrific acts-the cold-blooded and calculated slaughter of women and young children – these hasty and dismissive denials cast serious doubt
over whether any investigation will be genuine,”said Samira Daoud, Deputy Director of AI, West African Office.
The video, according to AI, shows the soldiers using Galil and Kalashnikov-style
rifles.
“While AK-type weapons are common, the Galil, the weapon specifically used in the execution, is comparatively rare and distinctive. The Small Arms Survey lists the Galil as only ‘occasional’ in sub-Saharan Africa among Governments, and as unknown among State actors. The only force in the area carrying Galils are a small subset of the Cameroon Army,” the report stated.
The master corporal’s uniform, to AI, is a tiger stripe pattern that is standard among LRC regular army.
“The other soldiers are wearing black shirts and green-and-black woodland pants. While the Ministry of Communication claims that the mixed and causal nature of the uniforms indicates a lack of authenticity. AI investigators have found the opposite. Mixed and partial uniforms are common among personnel, especially in remote areas where this incident took place. Soldiers in the Far North Region wearing casual flip-flops and T-shirts as
well as mix of tiger stripe print and woodland print can be clearly seen in the videos,” AI’s report explained.
Before AI’s report, the Minister of Communication, Tchiroma, had organised a press conference debunking the
video as fake.
“In this vein of overt conspiracy, the video that is currently going around is nothing but an unfortunate attempt to
distort actual facts and intoxicate the public. Its sincerity can be easily questioned, with regard to the factual elements contained in this horrible trick play, with voices coarsely affixed to visual sequences,” he said.
The video, according to Tchiroma, is another instance of gross misinformation whereby the alleged facts have nothing to do with the work of the Defense and Security Forces within the framework of the missions entrusted to them. AI, however, at the end of its report, said it is imperative that a proper impartial investigation is undertaken and those responsible for these abhorrent acts are brought to justice.
It should be noted that, such extrajudicial killings have become some sort of normalcy in Ambazonia, as LRC military maim, kill, and burn people’s property almost on daily basis. Unfortunately, the world continue to remain mute, amidst the huge atrocities LRC continue to commit in Ambazonia. Pundits hope that with this new evidence of LRC soldiers caught on camera carrying out such barbaric acts, the international community will input financial and economic sanction on LRC.
Watch full video below:
By Lucas Muma,
Managing Editor – Baretanews
3 comments
If President Buhari did not get himself involve with the blood sucker french slave called Biya, this heinous and abominable incident will not have befallen these innocent women and children.
The blame for the inhumane and cold blooded murder of an innocent child on her mother’s back lies squarely on the shoulders of dictator Paul Biya who the world MUST hold responsible and made to pay dearly for it. Why this silence from the international community still beats me or is it that the lives of Africans are less important than those of Syrians, Iraqis, North Koreans?
The french leeches and their henchmen in Africa like this french slave call Biya have always thought they can act with impunity; fortunately, Ambazonians are determine to be no part to this insane criminality.
What makes things painful to comprehend is the foolish and antagonistic behavior of many in LRC as champion by their perpetual liar called Tchiroma.