Mali Army and Wagner Accused of War Crimes Against Civilians

Mali’s armed forces and personnel from Russia’s Wagner Group committed killings, torture and other serious abuses against civilians during joint military operations between 2023 and 2025, Amnesty International says in a new report. The report, titled No One Is Spared , documents the deaths of at least 34 civilians in seven locations across the Ségou, Mopti and Timbuktu regions between June 2023 and December 2025. Amnesty says none of those killed was directly participating in hostilities when they died. The organisation also documented enforced disappearances, looting and torture. Interviews

Mali’s armed forces and personnel from Russia’s Wagner Group committed killings, torture and other serious abuses against civilians during joint military operations between 2023 and 2025, Amnesty International says in a new report. The report, titled No One Is Spared, documents the deaths of at least 34 civilians in seven locations across the Ségou, Mopti and Timbuktu regions between June 2023 and December 2025. Amnesty says none of those killed was directly participating in hostilities when they died. The organisation also documented enforced disappearances, looting and torture. Interviews with survivors described beatings, simulated drowning and electric shocks during military operations or detention at bases in Léré and Nampala. Amnesty said witnesses reported that five people died following torture or poor detention conditions. Pastoralist communities, particularly Fulani, Arab and Tuareg populations, made up the majority of victims identified in the investigation. Amnesty says some civilians appeared to have been targeted because of their ethnicity or presence in areas where armed groups operate. The report also examined two Malian military drone strikes in Timbuktu in 2025 that Amnesty says killed at least 23 civilians, including five children. The organisation called for impartial investigations into the incidents. Wagner operated in Mali from late 2021 until June 2025 before being replaced by Russia-linked Africa Corps. Amnesty is urging Mali’s authorities to protect civilians, investigate alleged crimes and clarify the chain of command involving foreign military personnel. The Malian authorities had not responded to Amnesty’s findings by the report’s publication.