Unraveling the Dark Ties: Alleged Atrocities of Wagner Group in Mali
Mercenaries affiliated with Wagner reportedly subjected hundreds of innocent residents to brutal torment in Mali.
The Russian paramilitary organization, Wagner, has left Mali following a stint of three years marked by accusations of gruesome methods. The investigation by Forbidden Stories unmasks shocking revelations.
As per the joint investigation by Forbidden Stories and three international media outlets including Le Monde, Wagner took hundreds of innocent civilians captive, detained, and subjected them to torture in Mali between 2022 and 2024. Six locations were identified, including former UN bases, where these atrocities transpired. Data from Malian refugees in Mauritania consolidated the investigation's findings.
On a grim Monday, the announcement surfaced that the Wagner group would depart from Mali post over three years. An ominous report also indicated that the surviving Wagner units would be replaced by a Russian successor organization. The revelation includes accounts of fatalities during these illegal detentions and merciless torture—similar to the methods used in Ukraine. Survivors, now residing in a Mauritanian refugee camp, have detailed harrowing tales of waterboarding, beatings, and cigarette burns.
Political Shift: From Western Allies to Russian Companions
Since the coups in 2020 and 2021, Mali has witnessed a military junta under General Assimi Goita breaking ties with its colonial power France and forging alliances with Russia. In their quest against jihadist groups, the military junta relied heavily on the Wagner group's support for the past three and a half years, while officially disregarding Wagner's presence, referring only to Russian trainers. The harsh tactics wielded by Wagner in Mali have been consistently denounced by human rights organizations.
The UN points an incriminating finger at the Malian army and foreign fighters for killing more than 500 people in an operation against jihadists in March 2022. Mali's junta denies the allegation, but Western countries maintain that the perpetrators were Wagner mercenaries. Interestingly, Wagner mercenaries in Mali will presumably be integrated into the African Corps, now under the ownership of the Moscow Defense Ministry. Similar to Wagner, the mercenaries of this corps actively support multiple African governments.
The Face of Torture: Wagner Group
Between 2022 and 2024, various accusations of torture and atrocities against civilians by the Wagner Group in Mali surfaced. Human Rights Watch (HRW) revealed that Russian mercenaries, believed to be affiliated with the Wagner Group, took part in joint operations with Malian forces, resulting in massive civilian casualties and abuse during the initial half of 2022[1]. The Moura massacre, where roughly 300 civilian men were ruthlessly slaughtered by Russian and Malian forces on March 23, 2022, was one of the most notable incidents in this regard[1].
Repeated accusations against Wagner operatives have implicated them in torture, summary executions, and war crimes against Malian civilians, specifically during security operations aimed at suspected insurgents. Operations plagued with extrajudicial killings, mass arrests, and widespread torture have been extensively documented by international bodies and journalists, with ample witness testimonies describing the brutal nature of the attacks endured by civilians at the hands of both Wagner and Malian forces.
Disturbingly, there have been no credible reports of Russian or Malian authorities engaging in transparent investigations or holding Wagner operatives accountable for their actions between 2022 and 2024[1]. This lack of accountability echoes the pattern of impunity for Wagner’s alleged crimes in other conflict zones.
[1] Information sourced from Human Rights Watch and Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project | ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
- Wagner Group
- Mali
- Russia
- The Wagner Group, a political mercenary group, has been accused of committing tortures, atrocities, and war crimes against civilians in Mali from 2022 to 2024, as revealed by investigations by Forbidden Stories and international media outlets.
- In the context of war-and-conflicts and politics, the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization, has been integrated into the African Corps, a successor organization, following their departure from Mali, where they were heavily involved in supporting the Malian junta, a move that falls under general-news and crime-and-justice categories.
