We, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) hereby call upon international opinion and international human rights organisations to take notice of the abuses and human rights violations perpetrated against Azawadi civilians in Bamako and other towns and villages in Mali.

On this day, the 1st February 2012: in the locality of Kati, the home of Mr Elmehdy Ag Hamahady as well his clinic and his pharmacy (situated opposite Kati’s Military Academy) and the home of former-minster Zakietou Walet Halatiny have been ransacked and set on fire by individuals armed with machetes and sticks who have been attacking unarmed civilians and wounding many of them.

This operation was being prepared by the Malian regime since August 2011. The Malian authorities were informed of these preparations by MNLA leaders, as was the President of the National Assembly.

It now seems that this course of action was orchestrated by the political elite who hold power in Bamako, in order to divert public attention from the many abuses of those currently in power. We hereby alert and inform the world that the agents of the state and those empowered to protect civilians made absolutely no effort to ensure the security of Azawadi citizens. In truth, as in the past, the regular army of Mali is engaging in barbarous attacks on the populations of Azawad, especially the Touaregs and Arabs. It continues to mistreat civilians in the town of Kidal, in the far north east of the country, and to requisition their goods for the sole reason that they belong to the local community.

The MNLA