French attack in Mali killed 19 unarmed civilians, UN says

While villagers say January 3 air assault hit a wedding party, French military claim they were targeting ‘terrorists’.

A French air attack in central Mali on January 3 killed at least 19 civilians, according to excerpts from a United Nations investigation, due to be released later on Tuesday. In the assault, French warplanes struck near the remote village of Bounti, in Central Mali’s Mopti region, in circumstances that sparked controversy in the Sahel state. Local residents said the air attack hit a wedding party attended by civilians.