city of Bamako in the South, Tuareg rebels declared independence, only to become targets of ruthless UN military forces.

The latest killings of civilians by UN troops occurred on January 27 in the northern Malian town of Gao. According to witnesses quoted by Reuters, at least three people were killed when UN “peacekeepers” fired live ammunition at the crowd to supposedly “disperse” protesters. One source cited by the news agency said UN military forces began shooting bullets at protesters after first tear gassing them. The man said he saw a dead protester who had been shot in the face by the global organization’s “peace” troops. A second witness told Reuters that he saw four dead protesters shot by the UN, as well as numerous wounded victims who were takenreported in the international press, the UN claimed it was forced to fire six missiles at the Tuaregs to “protect civilians.” It was not clear how killing civilians served to protect civilians.

That deadly UN helicopter attack on alleged Tuareg “rebels” helped spark a wave of protests against the UN military occupation last week. Media reports said hundreds of civilians, mostly women and children, occupied an airport commandeered by UN forces in the town of Kidal. UN troops responded to outraged and horrified civilian protesters in that incident by firing shots into the air, Reuters reported. The demonstrators, furious about recent UN killings of their countrymen, reportedly threw stones and burned UN assets such as generators and tents housing occupation troops. A resident who spoke to the news agency