UNITED NATIONS, March 24 (Xinhua) -- The 886 civilians reported killed, injured, abducted or missing in Mali in the second half of 2021 represented a 7 percent decrease from the previous 6-month period, a UN spokesman said on Thursday.
"It is still a lot of people killed, injured or abducted," said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. There was the possibility of unreported victims.
Trends showed that extremist groups were the main perpetrators of violence against civilians, while violence by militias and other community self-defense groups decreased, Dujarric said. Also recorded in the report were violations by the Malian Defence and Security Forces.
The spokesman said the country's center bore the brunt of the violence. Investigations into incidents that may have occurred in the first quarter of this year are underway.
Mali, one of the poorest countries in the world, is dominated by the Sahara Desert in the north, with the Sahel running along its southern edge. Bands of terrorist groups are known to use the Sahel to launch attacks. ■