Nine civilians killed in Mali attack as accusations leveled against army, Wagner mercenaries
French Marine Special Operation Forces officers attend during a training with Mali's FAMA soldiers as new Task Force Takuba multinationals military mission in sub-Saharan Africa's troubled region, in the Mali's Menaka army base, on December 6, 2021. - Brand new sand-colored tents, freshly dug trenches, helicopter ballet: in the midst of the reduction of French military personnel in Mali, the Ménaka camp (northeast) is an exception: formerly a small rustic forward base of the anti-jihadist operation Barkhane. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
Nine civilians, including women and children, were killed last week in Mali’s Segou region in an attack on a vehicle traveling from Niono to a refugee camp in Mauritania.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday, has drawn accusations from a Tuareg coalition and local civil society groups against Mali’s armed forces and Russia’s Wagner mercenaries.
Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for a coalition of Tuareg groups seeking an independent northern Mali, alleged that Malian armed forces and Wagner fighters carried out the assault. Kal Akal, a local civil society association, echoed these claims.
However, the head of Kel Ansar, one of the largest Tuareg factions, called for an investigation while disputing allegations of Malian troops’ involvement.
Neither the Malian army nor Wagner provided immediate comments on the incident.
The Wagner Group, which entered Mali following coups in 2020 and 2021, has been assisting the Malian military against Islamist insurgents and Tuareg separatists since the ousting of French and U.N. forces.
Human Rights Watch previously reported in December that Malian forces, supported by Wagner, and Islamist groups had committed severe abuses against civilians, violating international laws of war.
