Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned the “atrocities” committed by Mali’s army, the Russian Wagner Group, and Islamist armed factions since the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers a year ago.
Mali’s ruling junta had forced the United Nations Stabilization Mission (MINUSMA) to exit last December, citing worsening relations while grappling with ongoing jihadist and separatist violence.
Previously, MINUSMA deployed around 15,000 soldiers and police to protect civilians and uphold human rights across the West African nation.
Since May, Mali’s army, bolstered by Wagner, has “deliberately killed at least 32 civilians,” forcibly disappeared four others, and torched over 100 homes in northern and central Mali, according to a Thursday report from Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The report also detailed abuses by Islamist groups. The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group to Support Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) had “summarily executed at least 47 civilians” and displaced thousands since June.
HRW noted that its figures might understate the true toll, given the challenges of conducting research in conflict zones in central and northern Mali.
“Since MINUSMA left Mali a year ago, obtaining comprehensive information on abuses has been incredibly difficult, and we fear the situation is far worse than reported,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior Sahel researcher at HRW.
The organisation’s findings, drawn from 47 witness accounts, 11 informed sources, satellite images, and verified media, were shared with the Malian government, which provided no response.
“By failing to hold the security forces, Wagner, and Islamist groups accountable, Malian authorities have paved the way for further atrocities,” HRW stated.
MINUSMA ended its decade-long mission in Mali on December 31, 2023.
The junta, which came to power through coups in 2020 and 2021, has severed ties with France, its former colonial power, and aligned itself with Russia for political and military support.
