A report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has indicted the Malian army and “foreign” fighters of the extra-judicial execution of at least 500 people in March 2022.
The commission claims that it “has reasonable grounds to believe” that at least 500 people, including some 20 women and seven children, were “executed by the Malian Armed Forces and foreign military personnel (…) after the area (had) been totally subdued” between March 27 and 31, 2022 in Moura.
The OHCHR insisted that the acts constituted war crimes and, “depending on the circumstances,” crimes against humanity.
Last year, Mali troops said it killed over 200 jihadists in military operations in the center of the Sahel state but the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the country at the time countered the claims, saying it had heard reports of civilian deaths, raising human rights concerns.
In contrast, the Russian Foreign Ministry at the time congratulated Mali on an “important victory” against “terrorism” and described as “disinformation” allegations about the massacre of civilians by Malian forces.
Although the latest report did not expressly reveal the “foreigners”, Mali has been repeatedly linked with engaging Russian mercenary, the Wagner Group.
Mali in the past has also acknowledged the assistance of Russian “instructors” in the fight against jihadists, a claim also attributed to the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov surrounding the presence in Mali of the private Russian security company, Wagner.