Human Rights Watch released a damning report Thursday accusing Malian armed forces and Russian Wagner Group mercenaries of deliberately killing at least 32 civilians and committing widespread abuses since UN peacekeepers withdrew from the West African nation.
The documented violations include a drone strike that killed seven civilians, four kidnappings, and the destruction of at least 100 homes in central and northern Mali since May. The report comes amid growing concerns about civilian protection following the December departure of MINUSMA, the UN’s decade-long peacekeeping mission.
“The Malian army with the Wagner Group and Islamist armed groups have been targeting civilians and their property in violation of the laws of war,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. She expressed concern that “the situation is even worse than reported” given difficulties gathering comprehensive information since the UN’s withdrawal.
The rights group also highlighted atrocities by jihadi groups, reporting at least 47 civilian executions and widespread displacement since June. Militants have burned thousands of homes and stolen livestock critical to nomadic communities’ survival.
Mali’s security crisis has deepened since military coups swept the region, with ruling juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger expelling French forces in favor of Russian security assistance. Wagner Group mercenaries have operated in Mali since late 2021, facing accusations of civilian killings through raids and drone strikes while ostensibly helping combat an insurgency linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State militants.
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