BAMAKO (Reuters) – Mali’s armed forces have ordered an investigation into a video showing a man in Malian military uniform cutting into a corpse in front of his peers, the army chief said in a statement on Wednesday, describing it as a “rare atrocity” akin to cannibalism.
It added that the act did not align with the Sahelian West African nation’s military values.
Rights groups and the United Nations have repeatedly accused Malian soldiers of serious abuses, including executions and torture, committed against civilians suspected of collaborating with jihadist groups that have been waging an insurgency in the Sahel since 2012. The army has always denied wrongdoing.
The shocking video was trending on X on Tuesday and has since been removed for violating the platform’s rules. It showed a man in military uniform sporting a Mali Armed Forces (FAMA) badge, carving up the stomach of a dead body with a machete.
Speaking in local Malian Bambara language, the man says he is going to eat the victim’s liver, according to comments and media reports on the footage. A surrounding group of men in fatigues laugh as he cuts through the corpse.
Reuters did not verify the video that triggered outrage and disgust among social media users before it was taken down.
“Competent services have been mobilised to confirm the authenticity of the video and identify the individual,” said the army statement dated July 16 but posted on X on Wednesday.
Mali’s army has been struggling to contain jihadist groups, some with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State, that took root in its arid north over a decade ago and have since spread into neighbouring and coastal countries.
Hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions displaced as militants have seized territory and foreign-backed armies retaliated.
Authorities’ failure to restore security contributed to two military coups in Mali, two in neighbouring Burkina Faso and one in Niger since 2020.
Juntas in all three countries have cut ties with traditional Western allies and have turned to Russia for military support.
(Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo and Fadimata Kontao; Writing by Sofia Christensen; Editing by Bate Felix and Sandra Maler)
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