UN Dismisses Sri Lankan Peacekeeping Chief In Mali Over Human Rights Abuses - Spokesman

The United Nations has asked the government of Sri Lanka to immediately repatriate the commander of the nation's peacekeeping contingent in Mali due to recently received information on human rights abuses, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Friday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) The United Nations has asked the government of Sri Lanka to immediately repatriate the commander of the nation's peacekeeping contingent in Mali due to recently received information on human rights abuses, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Friday.

"Following a review of the human rights background of the commander of the Sri Lankan contingent deployed to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, the [UN] secretariat has requested that the government of the Democratic Socialist Government of Sri Lanka to immediately repatriate him to Sri Lanka," Dujarric said, without naming the commander.

"He will be leaving immediately. We'll find out if he's physically there, but it won't be long if he is."

Dujarric explained that decision to dismiss the commander was based on recently received information.

In July, the Observer reported that senior Sri Lankan officers accused of war crimes against Tamil rebels in 2009, the final phase of the Tamil insurgency, have been deployed to UN operations in Mali, Lebanon, Darfur and South Sudan.

The newspaper based its article on a confidential 41-page report by the South-Africa based International Truth and Justice Project.

Published reports have identified the commander as Lt. Col. Kalana Amunupure.