Amnesty International on Thursday warned that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger’s recent decision to submit formal notifications of withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) paints a bleak future for thousands of conflict survivors, denying their
Rights group condemns Mali armed forces and allied militias for violence against civilians
Human Rights Watch on Monday criticized insurgent armed groups, the Malian armed forces and allied militias, and Russian mercenaries, which have all committed “serious abuses of human rights against civilians” amid an insurgency fueled by long-standing ethnic tensions in the
ICC delivers reparations order for Timbuktu war crime victims
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday delivered an order on reparations for the victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz (Al Hassan) in Timbuktu between April 2, 2012, and January 29,
D.C. Circuit Dismisses Suit Concerning Cocoa Farm Forced Labor in Côte d’Ivoire for Lack of Standing
On July 22, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit dismissed an action brought by eight Malian citizens against seven U.S. cocoa importers (Cargill, Nestlé, Mondelēz, Hershey, Olam, Barry Callebaut, and Mars) for forming and operating a
How the Biden Administration can Make AGOA More Effective
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has served as the cornerstone of the U.S.-Africa commercial relationship for more than two decades but it is set to expire on September 30, 2025. While the legislation’s unilateral trade preferences have provided
Switzerland Introduces Sanctions on Republic of Mali
On 22 November, the Swiss Federal Council introduced UN sanctions against the Republic of Mali, which include travel bans and asset freezes. The sanctions target individuals and entities acting directly or indirectly to undermine peace, security and stability in the
UK Implements EU Sanctions on Mali
On 7 November, the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued a Financial Sanctions Notice confirming that, as of that date, no individuals or entities had been included in Annex I of the EU Regulation. This remains the case
UK Implements EU Sanctions on Mali
On 17 October, the UK published the Republic of Mali (European Union Financial Sanctions) Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/972). These follow Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1770 of 28 September 2017, which imposed “travel restrictions and the freezing of funds and economic resources
Mali Returns Deportees To France
This week, Mali returned two deportees to France for failure to establish that they were, in fact, Malian.The deportees, flown to the capitol city of Bamako, did not travel on Malian passports but European travel permits (fancily called “laissez-passer”).Mali has
Cuckoldry: Reality or Urban Legend?
New York Times (Apr. 8, 2016): Fathered by the Mailman? It's Mostly an Urban Legend, by Carl Zimmer:Stories about adultery and uncertainty about paternity permeate mass media and popular culture. At the dawn of the era of DNA testing, some