A report released on Thursday by a consortium of journalists reveals that the Russian paramilitary organization Wagner abducted, imprisoned, and tortured numerous civilians during its over three-year presence in Mali. This took place at former United Nations bases and military installations shared with the Malian army.
Survivors interviewed from a refugee camp in nearby Mauritania recounted harrowing experiences, including waterboarding, being struck with electrical cords, and having cigarettes extinguished on their skin, as detailed in an investigation orchestrated by Forbidden Stories in collaboration with France 24, Le Monde, and IStories.
The inquiry uncovered six locations where civilians were unlawfully held and subjected to torture between 2022 and 2024, although the true figure is likely to be greater, according to the journalists. The methods of torture were similar to those reportedly employed by Wagner in both Ukraine and Russia, and in some instances, led to fatalities.
The junta that governs Mali, which came to power through coups in 2020 and 2021, severed ties with France, its former colonial ruler, and sought political and military assistance from Russia. Although the junta has never formally admitted Wagner’s involvement, referring instead to collaboration with Russian “instructors,” human rights organizations and Western nations have long claimed that Wagner fighters are active in the region.
Recently, a Telegram channel linked to Wagner announced that the group would be withdrawing from Mali, with expectations that its fighters would be integrated into the Africa Corps, a paramilitary force associated with the Kremlin, according to diplomatic and security sources who spoke to AFP.
A United Nations investigation has accused Malian forces and foreign combatants of executing at least 500 individuals during an anti-terroroperation in the town of Moura in 2022, a claim that the junta has dismissed. Western authorities assert that Wagner mercenaries were involved in those actions.
In April 2024, corpses were uncovered near a Malian military installation days after reports of the army and Wagner personnel detaining dozens of civilians, primarily from the Fulani ethnic group.
