French airstrike in Mali killed 19 unarmed civilians, UN investigation finds
31 March 2021
19 of the 22 people killed by a French airstrike at a Mali wedding earlier this year were unarmed civilians who were "protected against attacks under international humanitarian law," a new United Nations report has found.
Why it matters: The findings that only three of those killed were suspected militants contradict France's claims that the targets in the Jan. 3 strike near the village of Bounti, central Mali, were militants — an assertion French officials stood by after the UN report's release Tuesday.
- The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali's report recommends that Malian and French authorities conduct "an independent, credible and transparent investigation" into the strike and "possible violations of international humanitarian and human rights law," per a UN statement.
"This strike raises serious concerns about respect for the principles of the conduct of hostilities."
Excerpt from UN report
What they're saying: France's Defense Ministry insisted in a statement issued in response to the UN that the strike targeted an "armed terrorist group."
- The ministry accused the UN fact-finding mission of failing to "distinguish credible sources from false testimonies of possible terrorist sympathizers or individuals under the influence of jihadist groups."
For the record: Officials in France have been debating the issue of the country's 5,100-strong troop presence in the West Africa nation, which was under French colonial rule from 1892 until 1960, Bloomberg notes.
- The airstrike occurred days after five French soldiers were killed in two separate attacks, which were claimed by a branch of Al-Qaeda.
- French President Emmanuel Macron last month warned against any rapid withdrawal of troops in West Africa's Sahel region amid calls to withdraw forces.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.