Mali: War Crimes and Abuses Committed by State Forces and Wagner Group

Joint Military Operations and Documented Casualties

The Amnesty International report, titled ‘No one is spared’: War crimes committed by the Malian army and foreign allied forces along the Mauritanian border, details abuses across the Ségou, Mopti, and Timbuktu regions. Investigators documented the unlawful killings of at least 34 civilians across seven localities. None of the victims were taking direct part in hostilities when they were killed by members of the Malian armed forces (FAMa) and the Wagner private military company.

Victims were frequently shot while fleeing or after arrest, with some suffering extreme post-mortem desecration. In the Timbuktu hamlet of Tin Adanda, four individuals were killed during a joint patrol on February 12, 2025. A survivor identified the perpetrators as white men accompanied by Malian soldiers.

Drone Strikes on Civilian Targets

In addition to ground executions, the report highlights two aerial drone strikes executed by the Malian military against civilian locations. A March 16, 2025 strike hit a crowded market in Ejdeir, while a November 2025 strike targeted a family home in Tangata, both in the Timbuktu region. These attacks resulted in the deaths of at least 23 people, including five children.

“We found no evidence of the presence of members of armed groups or military objectives at either drone strike site,” said Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa. Sivieude noted that even if military objectives had been present, striking a market full of civilians constitutes an indiscriminate attack under international law.

Systematic Torture and Detention Abuses

Fifteen male survivors interviewed for the investigation detailed severe physical abuse suffered during joint FAMa and Wagner patrols or while detained at military bases in Léré and Nampala. Eyewitness accounts corroborated that at least five detainees died inside these military installations due to torture and squalid detention conditions.

Survivors reported being suspended from metal bars, subjected to simulated drowning, beaten with iron bars and sticks, and given electric shocks. Detainees were held without judicial review, denied access to legal counsel, and kept incommunicado for periods ranging from one day to four months.

Targeting of Pastoralist Communities

The vast majority of victims belonged to pastoralist minorities—specifically Fulani, Arabs, and Tuaregs. Soldiers and foreign personnel frequently assumed these ethnic groups were colluding with non-state armed groups simply because they lived and worked in active conflict zones.

This dynamic has driven tens of thousands of civilians across the border into Mauritania. As of July 31, 2026, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) registered approximately 290,000 Malian refugees in Mauritania’s Hodh ech-Chargui region, where researchers conducted fieldwork for the report.

Accountability and International Context

Amnesty International has called on Malian authorities to launch impartial investigations into the chain of command for both domestic forces and foreign personnel. The Wagner Group operated in Mali from late 2021 until June 2025, after which its operations transitioned to the Africa Corps under the Russian Ministry of Defense.

While the International Criminal Court (ICC) has maintained an active investigation in Mali since 2013, the Malian junta notified its withdrawal from the Rome Statute in June 2026. This withdrawal will take effect on June 23, 2027, though the ICC retains jurisdiction over crimes committed up to that date.