Russian paramilitaries in Mali kill nine, including children: HRW

Russian-controlled paramilitaries in Mali have "summarily killed" nine civilians, including four children, a month after killing a number of others in an air strike, Human Rights Watch (HRW) states.

Key points

• "The Malian appears to have given Russian Africa Corps forces a green light to kill civilians, " remarked Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at HRW.
• When a Tuareg separatist rebellion in the north offered way to armed campaigns, mali has been fighting a civil war since 2012.
• The Malian authorities cannot evade legal responsibility by leaving the atrocities to the Africa Corps.
• 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.
• "They need to promptly and impartially investigate these abuses, and hold all those responsible to account, including Malian military personnel, " Allegrozzi continued.

In an official note published on Thursday, HRW accused Africa Corps of carrying out the killings in the presence of Malian soldiers at the beginning of last month.

For context, the rights organisation additionally alleged that dozens of residents had been beaten and at least eight homes set ablaze.

"They need to promptly and impartially investigate these abuses, and hold all those responsible to account, including Malian military personnel, " Allegrozzi continued. HRW interviewed witnesses to the alleged atrocities between July 19 and 30.

Detailing the incident, the group remarked 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.

In practice, the paramilitaries are accused of beating the men and boys in the presence of Malian soldiers while interrogating them regarding their alleged links to armed groups.

While three others were detained and executed, six civilians were shot and killed as they tried to escape. One of those detained was allegedly beheaded, HRW remarked.

When a Tuareg separatist rebellion in the north offered way to armed campaigns, mali has been fighting a civil war since 2012. The military-led administration is now battling multiple armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), and has lost substantial swaths of territory over recent years.

Residents informed 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.

As armed groups vie for territory and influence, security in the Sahel region and West Africa is in a critical state. 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 administration 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 backing, Moscow receives cash payments and access to the country's vast mineral wealth, particularly gold.

In short, russian paramilitaries in Mali kill nine, including children: HRW is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.