“Testimonies Reveal Brutal Tactics of Russian Mercenaries”

A shopkeeper told the BBC that Russian mercenaries fighting jihadist groups in Mali killed two men in front of him and then threatened to cut off his fingers and kill him as well.

This is one of several accounts collected by the BBC that describe how the Russian fighters carried out extremely violent operations while trying to fight Islamist militants in Mali. Human rights groups have strongly criticised these methods.

Mali’s military leaders took power in 2021. They asked French troops to leave, saying France had failed to control the insurgency. After this, the new leaders turned towards Russia and brought in the Wagner mercenary group, which was then connected to the Kremlin.

Wagner later left Mali, and Russia’s defence ministry took over their operations through a group called Africa Corps.

According to a report by the European Council on Foreign Relations, some Wagner fighters had shared evidence of their abuses on a private Telegram channel before it was shut down earlier this year. The report said they posted photos and videos showing killings, torture, and other serious crimes against both suspected militants and civilians.