Mali: Russia's 'Africa Corps' Accused of Massacring Villagers

Russia's 'Africa Corps' Accused of Massacring Villagers in Mali

Human Rights Watch has accused Russian government-controlled Africa Corps forces of massacring nine civilians, including four children, and beating dozens of others in central Mali.

According to Human Rights Watch, on July 10, over 100 Africa Corps fighters, accompanied by several Malian soldiers, stormed the village of Bombori in Mopti region. The fighters broke into homes in the ethnic Fulani neighborhood, dragging people out and rounding up at least 80 men and boys under a tree. They then beat the men and boys, interrogated them about alleged links to Islamist armed groups, and threatened to kill them if they withheld information.

The fighters shot and killed six civilians who tried to flee, and detained and executed three others, one of whom they beheaded. Witnesses reported that the Africa Corps forces were led by a white commander who fired into the air to intimidate the villagers.

The Malian authorities have been accused of giving the Africa Corps forces a green light to kill civilians. Human Rights Watch has called on the Malian authorities to promptly and impartially investigate these abuses, and hold all those responsible to account, including Malian military personnel.

The attack on Bombori is part of a larger pattern of abuses by the Malian army, the Wagner Group, and Africa Corps during counterinsurgency operations across Mali since 2021.

## Abuses by Africa Corps Forces

| | Africa Corps Forces | | --- | --- | | Number of civilians killed | 9 | | Number of civilians beaten | dozens | | Number of homes looted and burned | at least 8 | | Number of men and boys detained | at least 80 |

Witnesses reported that the Africa Corps forces removed three young men from the detainee group and drove them away in a vehicle. "Around 9 a.m., they took three young men … and led them towards the JNIM base," a 38-year-old man said. "Later we found them dead." Residents said the three men had occasionally helped JNIM collect "taxes" but were not fighters.

The Africa Corps forces also looted money and jewelry, and burned at least eight homes belonging to Fulani families whose sons, witnesses said, were JNIM fighters.

## International Law and Accountability

All parties to Mali's armed conflict are bound by international humanitarian law, notably Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions 1949 and customary laws of war. Deliberate or indiscriminate attacks against civilians or civilian property are prohibited, as well as murder, cruel treatment, and torture of anyone in custody. Individuals who commit serious violations of the laws of war with criminal intent or as a matter of command responsibility may be prosecuted for war crimes.

"The Bombori massacre is emblematic of atrocities across Mali," said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Villagers were caught between an Islamist armed group and the government with its Russian allies, with none of the belligerents abiding by international law.