Russian-controlled paramilitaries in Mali have ‘summarily killed’ nine civilians, including four children, a month after killing several others in an air strike, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.
In a statement published on Thursday, HRW accused Africa Corps of carrying out the killings in the presence of Malian soldiers at the beginning of last month.
The rights organization also alleged that dozens of people had been beaten and at least eight homes set ablaze.
‘The Malian [military government] appears to have given Russian Africa Corps forces a green light to kill civilians,’ said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at HRW.
‘The Malian authorities cannot evade legal responsibility by leaving the atrocities to the Africa Corps,’ Allegrozzi added.
‘They need to promptly and impartially investigate these abuses, and hold all those responsible to account, including Malian military personnel,’ Allegrozzi stated.
HRW interviewed witnesses to the alleged atrocities between July 19 and 30.
Detailing the incident, the group said that on July 10, more than 100 Africa Corps fighters rounded up at least 80 men and boys in Bombori village in the central region of Mopti.
The paramilitaries are accused of beating the men and boys in the presence of Malian soldiers while interrogating them about their alleged links to armed groups.
Six civilians were shot and killed as they tried to escape, while three others were detained and executed. One of those detained was allegedly beheaded, HRW said.
The Malian has been fighting a civil war since 2012, when a Tuareg separatist rebellion in the north gave way to armed campaigns. The military-led government is now battling multiple armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), and has lost large swaths of territory in recent years.
Residents told HRW that al-Qaeda affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has controlled Bombori since 2017, but that JNIM fighters were not in the village the day the killings happened.
Security in the Sahel region and West Africa is in a critical state, as armed groups vie for territory and influence. Bamako’s relations with Western countries, particularly its former coloniser France, have deteriorated since Mali experienced two military coups within nine months, with the current government seizing power in May 2021.
Russia, through Africa Corps and the Wagner Group before them, is now Mali’s main military partner in its fight against an unusual alliance of separatists and armed groups. In return for its support, Moscow receives cash payments and access to the country’s vast mineral wealth, particularly gold.
”The situation in Mali is dire, and these killings represent a significant escalation of violence,” Allegrozzi said.
HRW is urging the Malian government to launch a full and independent investigation into the incidents and to hold those responsible accountable.”
Source: Al Jazeera Africa
