UN police peacekeepers "used unauthorised and excessive force" that killed three people and injured four others during a protest in the northern Malian town of Gao in January, the United Nations said on Thursday.
A UN inquiry found that members of a police unit shot the protesters during a demonstration on Jan. 27, UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told reporters after briefing the UN Security Council on the findings.
Ladsous said four police were involved, but he did not identify their nationality. Gao residents accuse Rwandan police from the peacekeeping operation of firing on the protesters. The Rwandan UN mission was not immediately available for comment.
"We trust that the individuals responsible will be held fully accountable for their actions and steps are being taken in this regard in full coordination with the authorities of Mali and the authorities of the police contributing country concerned," Ladsous said.
"The inquiry also established that some protesters and organizers of the demonstration bear responsibility for the violence of the protest, which included Molotov cocktails, stone throwing and attempts to breach the perimeter (of the UN regional headquarters)," UN spokesman Farhan Haq said earlier on Thursday.
The UN peacekeeping force in Mali, known as MINUSMA, has been seeking to broker a peace deal between the northern rebels and the government. The rebels have refused to sign and talks are deadlocked.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "profoundly regrets the casualties among civilians resulting from the excessive use of force during this event by the MINUSMA personnel concerned," Haq said.
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