Malian Authorities Investigating Alleged Abuses Committed by Government Soldiers

There have been reports of torture and killing

Malian authorities are investigating claims of torture, killings and reprisals by its own soldiers against minority civilians with alleged links to Islamist militants — accusations that threaten to jeopardize international support for fighting terrorism in the Sahara.

Malian Foreign Minister Tieman Coulibaly insisted to The Associated Press that his government is taking the claims seriously and won't tolerate such "atrocities." But he acknowledges that it's a tough and sensitive task to investigate them in a poor, violence-scarred country with a weak, military-led government.