United Nations peacekeepers in Mali used “unauthorised and excessive force” when attempting to quell protests outside the regional headquarters of the UN mission in the country, said a UN internal inquiry.
The protests in January led to the deaths of three people, as UN peacekeepers fired on civilians.
The Secretary-General of the UN also stated his “regret” over the incident, adding that he “condemned it as a violation” of the peacekeeping mission. The troops in question have since been sent home. UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said the organisation would follow up on the internal inquiry to ensure “justice is done”.
Though the country that the peacekeepers were deployed from was not identified, the UN director of peacekeeping operations Herve Ladsous said it would be up to the home country to conduct a judicial inquiry in to the incident. If the troops were found to be “directly responsible” for the violations, they would be barred from future peacekeeping missions, he added.
The protests in January led to the deaths of three people, as UN peacekeepers fired on civilians.
The Secretary-General of the UN also stated his “regret” over the incident, adding that he “condemned it as a violation” of the peacekeeping mission. The troops in question have since been sent home. UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said the organisation would follow up on the internal inquiry to ensure “justice is done”.
Though the country that the peacekeepers were deployed from was not identified, the UN director of peacekeeping operations Herve Ladsous said it would be up to the home country to conduct a judicial inquiry in to the incident. If the troops were found to be “directly responsible” for the violations, they would be barred from future peacekeeping missions, he added.