Grainy camera footage showed bodies lying still in the blistering desert heat of northern Mali — six or seven, maybe more. Wet, red spots in the sand and scattered belongings indicated what had happened. A dirtied pair of jeans without its owner caught the camera’s eye.

In February, a group reportedly returning from a wedding in the Gao region was attacked not by armed groups but by the Malian army and alleged Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group. At least 20 people, including children and the elderly traveling in two vehicles, were killed.

Mali’s military government promised to investigate the soldiers involved in the deaths amid outcries from rights groups. However, investigators have been making little progress.

Russia has taken control of Wagner more directly since 2023, with Moscow keen to prevent the group from becoming too powerful. The fighters have reportedly continued to use the Wagner name despite the rebranding of its Africa operations to Africa Corps.

Mali’s crisis began in 2012 when Tuareg secessionists took control of northern cities, proclaiming an independent Azawad state. The subsequent call for French military and UN help led to eight years of French troops being Mali’s primary support against armed groups until they left in 2021.

Wagner fighters now operate in northern Mali, close to the Algerian border, where they engage in high-risk warfare that other mercenary groups may avoid. Nonetheless, their efforts have come at the cost of civilian lives.

Wagner and the Malian military have been accused of abuses against civilians, including deliberate killings and forced disappearances. French troops, before their exit, were also implicated in civilian deaths. In July 2023, the coalition suffered its biggest defeat yet when a unit was ambushed by a joint force of Tuareg fighters and armed groups in northern Tinzouaten.

Nonetheless, Wagner aims to maintain good relations with both Moscow and Bamako. The Russian government views the mercenary group as an affordable means to gain geopolitical influence in the Sahel and protect its interests.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/3/24/callous-are-malian-troops-and-russian-mercenaries-attacking-civilians?traffic_source=rss