The rise in human rights violations and abuses in Mali since last August is deeply concerning, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday.

She highlighted repeated attacks over the last six months by groups such as the Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), as well as violence across communal lines, all resulting in civilian casualties.

The Human Rights and Protection Division of the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) recorded 617 human rights abuses, including 165 killings including seven boys and two girls by armed groups from January to June 2021.

It said this represents an increase of some 37 per cent on the 449 abuses, among them 121 killings, documented from August to December last year.

Abdullahi Hassan reports.