Vladimir Putin’s Russian army has been accused of raping and beheading civilians and gouging out their organs in a supposed fight against extremism in West Africa. Russia‘s paramilitary Africa Corps were deployed to Mali to take over the fight against Islamic militants from Wagner forces earlier this year. Wagner merceneries were known for their brutal treatment of civilians and human rights violations, and their replacements have proven to be equally as barbaric, according to an investigation by the Associated Press (AP).
“It’s a scorched-earth policy,” a fleeing village chief said. “The soldiers speak to no one. Anyone they see, they shoot. No questions, no warning. People don’t even know why they are being killed.” Other refugees showed AP videos of their villages being burned by the “white men” and remembered finding the bodies of their loved ones with livers and kidneys missing.
Russia‘s direct military involvement in Mali began in 2021, but rather than protecting civilians from fighters affiliated with al-Qaeda or the Islamic State, Putin‘s involvement means they are being attacked from all sides.
When the Africa Corps replaced Wagner, Malians had hoped for a respite from the abuse. Instead, the transfer signalled a “new reign of terror” in the largely lawless region, linked directly to the Kremlin.
“They are the same men, paid by the government, and continue the massacres,” the village chief said. “There is no difference between Wagner and the Africa Corps.”
Experts told AP it was impossible to know how many people are being killed and assaulted in Mali, especially in remote areas. “There is a lot of people raped, attacked, killed,” Sukru Cansizoglu, Mauritania representative for the United Nations refugee agency, said. “[But] it is sometimes difficult to really pinpoint who are the perpetrators.”
It follows recent praise in Russian state media of the Africa Corps for defending Mali against “terrorists” and confirmation from Russia’s Foreign Ministry that the unit was deployed “at the request of Malian authorities”.
Malian authorities have never publicly acknowledged the presence of either Russian paramilitary group, but the two countries have consolidated their close relationship in recent months, including through a series of agreements aimed at strengthening economic ties.
The Malian army was thought to be significantly underfunded in 2021, with private security analysts estimating that Russia was paid around $10 million (£7.5 million) a month for offering military assistance.
Little is known about the details of the Mali-Russia agreement for the Africa Corps including the number of soldiers, although estimates hover around 2,000. Moscow reportedly began developing the new paramilitary force to replace Wagner after its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash in 2023 following his brief rebellion against Putin in 2023.
