On January 3, French warplanes struck near the remote village of Bounti in Mali. Residents said the air strike hit a wedding party and killed civilians.
The United Nations mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, subsequently launched an investigation into the affair. According to its report released Tuesday, the French did indeed kill 19 civilians.
France’s military rejects the findings and said it had killed jihadists. It also denied that a wedding had taken place in Bounti that day.
The UN said a wedding had in fact taken place and had “gathered about 100 civilians at the site of the strike” although it admitted about five armed people, who are thought to be members of the jihadist group Katiba Serma, were wedding guests.
UN finds French strike in Mali in January killed 19 civilians; France refutes report (france24.com)
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