Following a mission to Bamako, Trust Fund for Victims at the International Criminal Court has announced new rehabilitation measures for victims in Mali.
These measures are intended to address the harms suffered by the victims in the centre and north of the country.
“Crimes under international law have multiplied in Mali in recent years, particularly in the centre and north-east of the country. While waiting for justice to be done, we have decided to put in place measures to help rehabilitate victims in these regions. Many of them are currently in an extremely precarious situation and some of them have lost all of their property.
“In making this decision, we want to enable survivors to move forward and thus contribute to the transitional justice process,” stated Chair of the TFV, Mama Koité Doumbia.
The organisation will implement this new programme in partnership with other institutions in Mali. The victims who are eligible for the new measures will benefit from medical treatment and psychological rehabilitation measures, including trauma counselling, and material support.
The implementation is expected to begin in 2021, in addition to the judicial reparations ordered by the ICC following the conviction of Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi for the destruction of the mausoleums and the gate of the Sidi Yahia Mosque.
“Although they do not replace the judicial proceedings to which they are entitled, these new measures are very good news for victims in Mali, as well as for the victims in Timbuktu. At a time when the victims of Al Mahdi are preparing to receive their first reparations, this decision is a beacon of hope for those affected by the most serious crimes committed anywhere within Malian territory,” explained counsel for the victims in the Al Mahdi case, Mayombo Kassongo.
