Malian forces and Russians accused of abuses against civilians

Human Rights Watch said in a report released on December 12th that Mali’s armed forces and Russian Wagner fighters have committed abuses against civilians since a UN peacekeeping mission was withdrawn last year, according to AP.

Malian armed forces, backed by the Russian private military company PMC Wagner are accused by the rights group of deliberately killing at least 32 civilians, including seven in a drone strike, kidnapping four others, and burning at least 100 homes in towns and villages in central and northern Mali since May.

Human Rights Watch also accused Jihadi groups of having summarily executed at least 47 civilians and displaced thousands of people since June. It claimed the groups burned thousands of houses and looted livestock, vital to the survival of the nomadic communities in the region.

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“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,” senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch Ilaria Allegrozzi said in the report.

Mali like neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger has been fighting a Jihadi insurgency for over a decade, including some allied with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

Following military coups in all three countries in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled forces from France and instead sought Russian private military companies for assistance.

The Wagner PMC has been present in Mali since late 2021 following a military coup, the second in two years, replacing French troops and international peacekeepers to help fight the insurgent groups.

Wagner forces have been accused of helping to carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed civilians.

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The UN ended its decade long peacekeeping mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, last December, following a government request that alleged the force was not adequate to respond to the insurgency.

“Since MINUSMA left Mali a year ago, it has been extremely difficult to get comprehensive information on abuses, and we are deeply concerned that the situation is even worse than reported,” Allegrozzi said.