Mali: Ban deplores violent protests against Mission compound, launches inquiry
29 January 2015 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the deadly protests against a United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) compound in the northern city of Gao, which left several people dead and a number of others injured.
According to reports, a violent demonstration took place in front of the compound on 27 January with protestors reacting to the establishment of a temporary security zone in Tabankort, a town due north of Gao and in a restive area of the country.
MINUSMA has confirmed that the crowd surrounded the compound and pelted the facility with stones and Molotov cocktails, injuring two UN Police officers. UN Police responded with tear gas and fired warning shots to disperse the crowd and prevent it from entering the facility, resulting in the deaths of at least three people and the injury of eight others.
A statement released earlier today by a UN spokesperson said Mr. Ban was “saddened by the violence” and had decided to launch an inquiry “to determine the facts surrounding this tragic event.”
“The Secretary-General reiterates the United Nations’ commitment to supporting the stabilization of Mali,” the statement continued. “He remains deeply concerned over the continued fighting in many parts of the country.”
It added that the Secretary-General reminded all parties in the country of the need to respect their ceasefire commitments to enable the “urgent resumption” of peace talks.
The Government in Mali has been seeking to restore stability and rebuild following a series of setbacks since early 2012, including a military coup d'état, renewed fighting between Government forces and Tuareg rebels, and the seizure of its northern territory by radical Islamists. Throughout much of this time, Mali’s north has remained restive and, in recent months, MINUSMA and its “blue helmets” have come under repeated violent attack.
The death of a leading female activist, Shaimaa Al Sabagh, had been captured on video and in photographs posted on the Internet, after she had apparently been shot from behind during a peaceful protest in central Cairo, added OHCHR.
“I have in the past urged the Egyptian authorities to take urgent measures to ensure that any excessive use of force by security personnel is promptly investigated, alleged perpetrators are put on trial and victims have access to justice and compensation,” said spokesperson Rupert Colville, reading out a statement from the High Commissioner at a briefing in Geneva today.
“Hundreds of people had died during protests against successive governments since January 2011, and there has been very little in the way of accountability,” he underscored.
The High Commissioner also said that all those who had been detained for protesting peacefully had to be released.
“The long-term stability of Egypt is only possible if fundamental human rights are respected,” Mr. Colville said. “Otherwise, people's grievances will fester and feelings of injustice will grow, creating fertile ground for further social and political unrest.”
He went on to say that “it is in the interests of all sides to engage in meaningful dialogue and to make efforts to find peaceful solutions to Egypt's many problems.”
High Commissioner Zeid also condemned the murder of two policemen who had been shot at a checkpoint near the Pyramids over the weekend, and the death of a security officer during a clash between protesters and security forces on the same day.