I am a teacher, human rights defender and the Secretary-General of the Regional Trade Union of the Kidal region. The Regional Union of Workers of Kidal is a subsidiary of the National Union of Workers of Mali (UNTM). The UNTM is a network of human rights defenders made up of approximately 30 organisations.
In the lead up to 1991, the UNTM played a crucial role in the freedom movement and the fight against the dictatorship of Moussa Traoré (President of Mali from 1968 to 1991) and helped to bring democracy to Mali.
In 2012, an insurrection resulted in the forced departure of the democratically elected President Amadou Toumani Touré. Together with other organisations, the UNTM opposed this coup. We fought against the outrageous human rights violations perpetrated across the various communities by participating in demonstrations and many other initiatives.
As a founding member of the human rights network RDDH (Le Réseau des Défenseurs des Droits Humains du Mali / The Network of Human Rights Defenders of Mali), our organisation has led field investigations into gross human rights violations in Northern Mali. I have personally documented cases of human rights violations in my capacity as a RDDH representative in the region of Kidal. As a result, I also became a target for opponents of human rights defenders. This is the reason I was attacked, shot and badly injured by people who made me their scapegoat when Prime Minister Moussa Mara visited in 2014.
Thanks to the support of various national and international organisations, and with particular thanks to the efforts of Freedom House, I was subsequently admitted to the hospital in Goa, and later transferred to Bamako. To date I have not yet completely recovered and my spirit has suffered from having to live far away and from being separated from my family in Kidal. Yet, despite this hardship, I believe this is the right avenue to greet all and launch another appeal for human rights in Mali.
I have personally documented cases of human rights violations in my capacity as a RDDH representative in the region of Kidal. As a result, I also became a target for opponents of human rights defenders.
