Mali Refugees Allege Atrocities by Army and Russian Mercenaries Amid Ongoing Conflict

FASSALE: Tears soaked Cherifa’s veil as she recounted how her son was beheaded by a unit of Malian soldiers and Russian paramilitaries supporting the fight against jihadists. Cherifa, a woman in her sixties, was among approximately 10 Malian refugees who spoke to AFP from neighboring Mauritania about the brutal violence meted out against civilians. All the refugees’ names have been changed for their safety.
“His death is my greatest pain,” she said, her voice trembling, from inside a rough brick shelter. Last summer, her son left to sell goods in Mali but just a few kilometers across the border, he and four others encountered a joint patrol of Malian troops and paramilitaries from the Moscow-controlled Africa Corps. Herders hiding nearby later described the events that followed.
“They tied them up and cut off their heads… they set fire to the goods they were carrying,” Cherifa recounted. No one dared retrieve the bodies until the next day, fearing an ambush or hidden traps.

– ‘Defenseless’ –

Cherifa accused the army and Russian fighters of targeting innocent and defenseless civilians. The nomadic Fulani and Tuareg communities have been particularly affected, often accused of links to jihadists or separatists. Since taking power in a 2020 coup, Mali’s ruling junta has relied on Russian mercenaries — first Wagner, now rebranded as Africa Corps. Their operations have been widely criticized by rights groups. According to data analyzed by AFP from conflict monitor ACLED, Malian government operations since 2020 have caused more than 8,500 deaths, approximately half of them civilians. When Russian forces accompany government troops, up to 60 percent of those killed are civilians. When acting independently, this figure rises to 90 percent.

– Torture –

In refugee camps across the border, the mere mention of Russians — still widely known as Wagner — instills fear. Nedoune, a Tuareg herder in his fifties, said he was fetching water in the northern Timbuktu region two years ago when a convoy spotted him. After being beaten and tied up, he was held for two days as fighters combed through the area, rounding up civilians and destroying camps.
“They burned everything and killed all the animals,” he said without emotion. Through a gap in his turban, he witnessed a man beaten “almost to death” before having his throat slit and his body thrown from a vehicle. Nedoune was later detained at a camp in central Mali and tortured for four days during interrogations.
“They always asked about jihadists: Do you know them? Who are they? Where are they?” he told AFP. “They pour water on your body, then put wires in your ears and send an electric current until you pass out.” He was eventually released after paying a ransom of 310,000 CFA francs (around $550).

– ‘Buried alive’ –

Approximately 300,000 refugees have fled to eastern Mauritania’s desert Hodh Chargui region to escape the violence that has plagued Mali for over a decade. Since 2012, Mali has faced attacks from radical Islamists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Daesh group, as well as local criminal gangs and pro-independence fighters. At the border town of Fassala, medical teams from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) are treating individuals with severe trauma.
“We have testimonies of torture, including people who say they were buried alive,” said MSF coordinator Mayoury Savant. “We also see sexual violence, affecting both women and men.” In recent months, Hodh Chargui has experienced a surge of refugees fleeing jihadist ultimatums to leave certain areas within 24 hours or face slaughter.

– ‘We lived in peace’ –

Rights groups have filed a case with the African Union, seeking accountability for abuses involving Malian forces and Russian fighters. Coordinated attacks by Tuareg separatists and jihadists in April dealt a significant setback to the junta, particularly the capture of Kidal, a northern rebel stronghold. For refugees, many of whom support the Tuareg rebels, the withdrawal of Russian fighters from northern bases has raised hopes of returning home.
Fatima, 30, fled her village after airstrikes in the Timbuktu region three years ago but said of the women who remained: “Everything happened to them except death… we know some were tortured.”
“Before the Russians came, we lived in peace,” she added. “If they take back Timbuktu and the other towns, I can go home.”

Source link