Amnesty alleges war crimes by Mali’s army and Wagner

Amnesty International has accused Malian soldiers and members of Russia’s Wagner group of war crimes, including killing and torturing civilians during operations between 2023 and 2025. Its report describes at least 34 civilians killed in seven localities in the Ségou, Mopti and Timbuktu regions, mostly during joint patrols. The figure covers the cases Amnesty examined, not all civilian deaths in the conflict. [2] [3]

Amnesty says none of those killed was directly taking part in fighting. Some were shot while fleeing or after being detained. Its wider investigation involved interviews with 119 Malian refugees in Mauritania, including accounts from 33 people about the 34 deaths. Researchers could not visit the incident areas in Mali because of access and security difficulties. In most cases, Amnesty says it could not identify which member of a patrol was directly responsible for a killing. [2] [3]

The report separately describes two Malian military drone strikes in 2025 that Amnesty says killed at least 23 people, including at least five children. It counts 16 civilians killed at a market in Ejdeir. The Malian army said it had targeted a gathering of militants at a transit camp and killed 11; Amnesty links that statement to the Ejdeir strike by its location, while acknowledging it cannot entirely rule out a military target there. The army has also said more broadly that its operations target only members of armed groups. [2] [3]