A recent investigation has revealed alarming details regarding the activities of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner in Mali over the past three years. The report, published by a collective of journalists, including investigative outlet Forbidden Stories, indicates that Wagner has been involved in the abduction, detention, and systematic torture of hundreds of civilians, particularly at locations such as former UN bases and camps shared with the Malian army.
Survivors interviewed from a refugee camp in neighboring Mauritania recounted harrowing experiences of abuse, including waterboarding, beatings with electrical cables, and being burned with cigarette butts. The investigation highlights a disturbing pattern of illegal detentions and torture, drawing parallels to similar conduct reported in Ukraine and Russia.
Conducted in collaboration with prominent media outlets such as France 24, Le Monde, and IStories, the investigation has identified at least six distinct detention sites used by Wagner between 2022 and 2024, though experts believe the actual number could be considerably higher.
Following a series of coups in 2020 and 2021, Mali’s ruling junta has distanced itself from former colonial power France and turned to Russia for military and political backing. Despite the escalating evidence of Wagner’s presence, the Malian government has maintained that it only engages with Russian instructors, never formally recognizing the paramilitary group’s operations.
The situation took a turn last week when a Telegram channel linked to Wagner announced that the group would be exiting Mali. Reports suggest that Wagner personnel will be assimilated into a new entity known as Africa Corps, which also has ties to the Kremlin.
Mali has increasingly relied on Wagner’s support in combating jihadist movements that have wreaked havoc across the nation, leading to significant civilian casualties. However, human rights organizations consistently condemn the group’s extreme tactics. A UN report recently accused both Mali’s army and foreign fighters associated with Wagner of executing at least 500 individuals during a military operation in Moura in March 2022—a claim the junta staunchly denies.
In a related incident, reports last April indicated the discovery of bodies near a Malian military camp shortly after the army and Wagner forces detained dozens of civilians, primarily from the Fulani community, further escalating concerns about human rights abuses in the region.
