The Malian Army announced that it had discovered on Thursday "a mass grave" in the northern city of Kidal, which has been controlled by armed rebels since 2014.
"On Thursday, November 16, the FaMa (Malian Armed Forces) discovered a mass grave in Kidal during their security operations," the army said in a statement published Saturday night on social media.
According to the army, this mass grave demonstrates the actions of the rebels and they should be brought to justice.
"This mass grave is a reminder of the atrocities committed by lawless terrorists," stressed the Malian Army, which has announced the opening of investigations "to bring the perpetrators to justice."
The Malian Army regained control of the town on November 14 following the October 31 departure of the peacekeepers of the United Nations Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) They left their camp in Kidal as part of their planned withdrawal of 11,600 soldiers and 1,500 police officers, which is scheduled to be completed by December 31. Local Tuareg-led militant groups seized Kidal immediately after the peacekeepers departed.
Kidal is a town located in northeastern Mali near the borders of Algeria and Niger. For more than a decade, the area has been the epicenter of an uprising by Tuareg rebels seeking to establish an independent state.