Malian armed forces and foreign fighters apparently from the Russia-linked Wagner Group have summarily executed and forcibly disappeared several dozen civilians in Mali’s central region since December 2022. They are also responsible for alleged torture and destroying civilian property.
HRW interviewed people for a new report who said armed forces committed the abuses during operations against Islamist armed groups. In most operations, witnesses reported the involvement of foreign armed men who they described as “white,” “Russians,” or “Wagner."
The Wagner Group is a private military security company run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a once-close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin before tensions between the Russian defense ministry and Wagner Group escalated in Russia on June 24.
Mali’s government has said Russian military instructors were in the country as part of an agreement with Russia but denied the presence of Wagner fighters. Russia’s own foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, however, recently confirmed that the Wagner Group “provides security services” to the Malian government and are in the country working as instructors.
Hostilities have intensified across Mali since 2022 as armed forces and affiliated foreign fighters have conducted operations against Islamist-armed groups. These operations have often resulted in serious abuses against civilians. The violence has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis, with 8.8 million people requiring assistance and 412,000 people forced from their homes.
A 15,000-member United Nations peacekeeping force stationed in Mali as part of a stabilization mission is set to leave at the end of the year when its mission formally ends. This makes it even more crucial for Malian authorities to prevent abuses during military operations and protect civilians.
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