Malian army

Amnesty International has published a new report presenting what it calls damning evidence of war crimes committed in Mali by state armed forces and personnel from the Russian Wagner Group. The findings add to mounting documentation of abuses against civilians in the country's conflict, and are drawing attention to the human rights record of Mali's military government and its Russian partners.

Amnesty International has documented cases of murder and torture committed by the Malian army and the Wagner paramilitary group in Mali, according to a report by RFI. The findings add to growing scrutiny of Wagner's operations in Africa's Sahel region, where the Russian-linked force has been deployed alongside government troops against armed insurgents.

A new report documents war crimes committed by the Malian army and foreign allied forces along Mali's border with Mauritania, in an area affected by the decade-long conflict with armed groups. Witnesses describe killings of civilians regardless of age or status, summed up in the finding that 'no one is spared'. The allegations renew scrutiny of Mali's military and its foreign partners.

Amnesty International accuses the Malian army and the Wagner paramilitary group of committing war crimes in Mali. Between June 2023 and December 2025, the rights group documented the killing of at least 34 civilians in seven villages across the Segou, Mopti and Timbuktu regions. The findings add to long-standing allegations of abuses by Malian forces and Russian-linked fighters against civilians.