More than 140 soldiers of the regional grouping of this component of the Malian army have been taught the essential concepts of human rights and international humanitarian law with their scope of application.
In recent years, the United Nations has reported that the regular army has been guilty of abuses.
To address this problem, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) organised training sessions for the regional grouping of the National Guard.
These took place in two stages in Gao (North-East Mali): from August 19 to 26, 2021 and from September 2 to 9, 2021.
The training is part of the capacity building strategy of the Malian Defence and Security Forces put in place by the Human Rights Division of MINUSMA, said a statement seen by APA on Friday.
The human rights officers of the MINUSMA, present at the meeting, explained to the soldiers the different Geneva conventions through a practical case.
In French, Songhoy and Bambara, the soldiers were made aware, with specific examples related to the Malian situation, of the rights they are entitled to and the obligations they are subject to in terms of respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.
These training sessions are the first of a series that will take place until December.
On the basis of the Code of Conduct of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA) and international legal instruments ratified by Mali, MINUSMA officers will discuss with the soldiers, concrete cases of International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law.
ARD/id/lb/as/APA