France increases Mali aid after scathing UN report
07 April, 2021
France on Tuesday announced a rise in aid to Mali to €6 million ($7.11m) this year following the release of a UN report criticising a good French air strike that killed civilians found in the turbulent Sahel country.
Nathalie Estival-Broadhurst, France’s deputy UN ambassador, said Paris would this season offer an extra €1m to a good UN fund focused on the Sahel, where French and other foreign forces were battling an insurgency.
The humanitarian cash injection came a week following the release of a UN report that criticised France for an air strike about January 3 that killed 19 civilians and three armed men at a wedding in the remote desert of central Mali.
“We all know that stabilising the region takes a significant effort regarding humanitarian aid and production,” Ms Estival-Broadhurst told the UN Security Council.
“We welcome [UN aid chief] Mark Lowcock’s decision to create a regional fund for Central Western Africa, focused in particular on the Sahel. France will donate to this to the tune of €1m.”
Investigators with the UN mission in Mali (Minusma) the other day figured the French air strike had struck a good gathering around 100 people found in the village of Bounti.
Five armed individuals, presumed participants of Katiba Serma, an Al Qaeda-linked group, were at the celebration, UN investigators said.
France offers rejected the results and questioned the credibility of the statement.
The former colonial power in Mali has been embroiled in the conflict since 2013 and has stationed a lot more than 5,000 troops there and in neighbouring countries to fight groups associated with Al Qaeda and ISIS.
Minusma has deployed a lot more than 13,000 troops to contain violence by armed teams found in the north and center of Mali. It features recorded about 230 fatalities since 2013, rendering it the deadliest UN blue helmet mission.
Four Chadian UN peacekeepers were killed and several other folks injured when “heavily armed terrorists” attacked its base in the northern Mali village of Aguelhok on Friday, said Minusma.
“We condemn this violence in the strongest conditions practical, and we commend the bravery and dedication of our peacekeepers,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Washington's UN ambassador, told the council.
“The security and safety of peacekeepers is important for the United States, and we will continue steadily to take concrete action to strengthen peacekeeper safety.”
Source: www.thenationalnews.com