The U.N. human rights office on Thursday called for an investigation into reports of the torture and killing of surrendering Malian soldiers during an ​ambush of a military convoy by insurgents and separatists, saying such actions ‌would amount to a war crime.

• The ambush occurred on Saturday in northern Mali between the town of Anefis and the city of Gao, according to statements from Mali's armed forces, the Azawad Liberation ​Front (FLA), and the al Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM). A ​source close to the FLA told Reuters that more than 50 ⁠pro-government fighters were killed. Reuters could not independently confirm the death toll.
• JNIM has ​shared footage online that appeared to show soldiers surrendering following the ambush, with their ​hands behind their heads, as well as rebels firing at some of their captives. Reuters has not independently verified the footage.
• "There needs to be a thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances ​of this incident, including the actions contained in the horrendous footage circulated online appearing ​to show FLA/JNIM members firing at the soldiers after they surrendered," Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the ‌Office ⁠of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement on Thursday. The office deplores "the reported torture and killing of dozens of surrendering Malian soldiers," he said.
• JNIM could not be reached for comment. A spokesperson for the FLA, Mohamed Elmaouloud ​Ramadane, said the ​group supported independent ⁠investigations of all human rights abuses committed in the region and that the footage described by the U.N. human rights office "must ​first be authenticated".
• JNIM and the FLA staged nationwide attacks in April ​that killed ⁠the defence minister, hit the airport and forced the army to abandon several locations. They followed that with an attempt on July 4 to seize Anefis, though the ⁠army has ​retained control of that town.
• The mounting violence poses ​a threat to Mali's military-led government, which took power in coups in 2020 and 2021 and promised to ​improve security in the landlocked Sahel country.