Around 20 people were killed in northern Mali on Monday when the vehicles they were traveling in were attacked. Local sources told AFP that the Malian army and Russian Wagner mercenaries were responsible for the assault.
A relative of one of the drivers said the group was heading toward Algeria when they encountered Malian soldiers and Wagner fighters, who allegedly opened fire. “In the first car, everyone died, including my cousin,” the source said, adding that the victims included migrants and nomads.
The Malian army has not officially commented on the allegations, though a military source denied responsibility, stating that an investigation was in progress. A local representative from the Gao region confirmed the attack and reported that at least 20 civilians had been killed in two vehicles in the Tilemsi region.
The separatist rebel group Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA) condemned what it called “ethnic cleansing” by Mali’s ruling junta against the Azawad population. The group claimed that at least 24 people, including women and children, were “coldly executed” by Malian forces and Wagner fighters.
Mali has been embroiled in a worsening security crisis for over a decade, with militant groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State operating in the region. The military junta, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, has relied on Wagner mercenaries since severing ties with France. In December, Human Rights Watch accused both the Malian army and Wagner of committing atrocities against civilians, alongside Islamist armed groups.
