Malian army accused of killing civilians

Distraught families have accused the Malian military of killing seven civilians during an operation in the central Sokolo town last week.
Nouhoun Sarr, the nephew of one of seven men killed on 21 February, said the authorities informed him on Wednesday morning of his uncle's fate.
"They called us to tell us our relatives were killed during the operation, without elaborating," he told AFP news agency.
Yehia Ag Mohamed Ali, an opposition politicians, told the agency the soldiers killed the civilians in Sokolo.
The government has opened an inquiry into the killings, but said in a statement on Wednesday the army was "carrying out reconnaissance missions and searches in the Sokolo area, during which civilians unfortunately lost their lives".
A UN report published this month found "at least 20%" of recorded incidents which endangered civilian lives during 2016 and the first six months of 2017 involved the Malian authorities - essentially the security forces, AFP said.