Malian and Russian forces accused of human rights abuses
As Mali’s internal strife continues to escalate amid attacks from Tuareg separatists and jihadists, three civil society organisations have accused Malian and Russian forces of human rights abuses, according to RFI and agencies on April 21st.
Trial International, the Pan-African Lawyers Union (PALU) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) filed a lawsuit on April 20th with the African People’s Court of Human Rights against Mali.
In a joint statement, the groups said: “Recognition of state responsibility is essential to guarantee justice for victims.”
Mali’s military junta and Russian mercenaries, such as the Wagner Group, which now operates under the Russian Africa Corps, are implicated in human rights violations.
The lawsuit also accuses the junta of failing to protect civilians from violence, along with failing to prevent violations and failing to sanction perpetrators of abuse, and guarantee reparations to victims.
Russian mercenaries are accused of perpetrating sexual abuse against Malian civilians; the Russian Africa Corps have been accused of perpetrating beheadings and rapes in partnership with the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA).
In February, CD-DPA’s annual report documented 553 people being killed in northern and central Mali throughout 2025, with FAMA and Russian auxiliaries being implicated in 374 incidents.
Human Rights Watch (HRW)’s December 2024 report implicated Wagner fighters in the killings of at least 32 civilians, along with kidnappings and the burning of towns and villages.
The presence of Russian mercenaries in Mali and the Sahel more broadly is controversial because Mali’s junta has increasingly turned to Russian support to maintain stability amid the escalating Islamist insurgencies in the region.
Mali’s junta seized power in 2020 following a military coup that installed General Assimi Goïta as leader, who has since extended his presidential term to 2030, despite promising to restore democracy upon his rise to power.
Reportedly, the April 20th lawsuit focuses on the Hombori and Moura massacres, which occurred in central Mali in 2022; FAMA and the Wagner Group were implicated in the killings.
The role of private military actors in the 2022 massacres, namely the Wagner Group, is under particular scrutiny because their support by Mali between 2021 and 2022 may constitute a violation of its obligations to protect civilians and guarantee peace.
Maghrebi contacted the African People’s Court of Human Rights for comment regarding the April 20th lawsuit, but has not received a reply at the time of publication.
RFI and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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