A/HRC/43/76 Support of Islam and Muslims, a violent extremist group, issued a communiqué in which it claimed responsibility for the incident. It offered its condolences to the relatives of the civilian victims, stating that the attacks were actually targeted at the international and MINUSMA forces. The Douentza-Boni road remains particularly vulnerable to incidents involving improvised explosive devices, which are a deadly threat to civilians. 14. The security situation has been marred by numerous criminal acts that go unpunished. The Independent Expert was informed of many such incidents, including armed robbery and car thefts. The regions of Gao, Ménaka, Timbuktu and Mopti have been particularly affected. The Independent Expert has also been informed of an attempted car theft that resulted in the death of a civilian. On 13 July 2019, in the city of Gao, four unidentified armed men travelling on a pick-up truck and a motorbike shot at the vehicle of the First Deputy Prefect of Gao. The attackers tried to intercept the vehicle: the First Deputy Prefect, his wife and his son were injured. They were transferred to the hospital in Gao, where it was found that the woman had died. 15. The Independent Expert is concerned about the continued attacks against humanitarian workers and their impact on the population, and recalls that the perpetrators of such acts should be brought to justice. On 4 May 2019, unidentified armed men, alleged to be affiliated with the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, carried out an attack on a measles vaccination campaign run by Médecins Sans Frontières in a local market in Hombori commune, in Mopti region. Two vehicles rented by the organization, carrying immunization supplies, were reportedly burned. The Independent Expert wishes to emphasize that such an attack is in violation of article 8 (2) (e) (iii) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. In August 2019, the International Committee of the Red Cross temporarily suspended its operations in Timbuktu, in the north of the country, following the theft of one of its vehicles in the city. On 24 September 2019, at about 7 p.m., three unidentified armed men broke into the residence of two staff members of the nongovernmental organization Médecins du Monde in Touloupe district, in Ménaka, stealing a motorcycle and two mobile telephones. On 13 October 2019, at about 2 p.m., unknown persons kidnapped two staff members of the humanitarian organization CARE International while they were in a boat on a rescue mission in the village of Koakrou. During the Independent Expert’s visit to the country, on 27 November 2019, presumed extremist elements travelling on about 10 motorcycles intercepted two vehicles carrying 10 persons (8 men and 2 women) working for Médecins Sans Frontières, near the village of Banguel, in Mopti region. The victims were reportedly abducted, handcuffed and carried away on motorcycles, before finally being released on the same day, near the village of Diankabou (approximately 33 km from the site of the incident). The attackers took away the vehicles, the immunization supplies and the victims’ personal belongings. 16. The Independent Expert has learned that on 30 June 2019, at approximately 11 p.m., a cart carrying a group of around 15 persons, all members of the Fulani community, struck an improvised explosive device on the road near the village of Guiri, in Mopti region. Eleven persons were killed: seven men, two women and two babies under 1 year of age. 17. The absence of local administrative and security authorities from most of the country’s central and northern regions has increased the population’s vulnerability. On 9 October 2019, the Malian army announced its withdrawal from isolated positions near the border with the Niger and Burkina Faso that were exposed to attack by jihadists. At the time of the Independent Expert’s mission, that decision had already been implemented for three posts (Andéramboukane and Indelimane, from which it had withdrawn to Ménaka, and Labbezanga, from which it had withdrawn to Ansongo). Initial reports about the withdrawal had raised concern for the protection of the civilian population. The Independent Expert learned that the soldiers’ departure had created panic among the inhabitants of the area, who feared the return of the extremists who had controlled the larger towns in 2012, imposing a strict interpretation of Islamic law. 18. The Independent Expert notes that, in the absence of State authorities, the Coordination des mouvements de l’Azawad and the Plateforme coalitions of armed groups provided security in the north of Mali, and arrested and detained individuals suspected of having committed crimes. The persons concerned had been detained and judged by traditional courts. 4 GE.20-00529