allegations of war crimes in Mali: army and Wagner group target fulani men
Since january 2025, the Mali armed forces and the russian-backed Wagner group have been implicated in a series of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances targeting men from the fulani ethnic group, according to human rights organizations. These allegations include at least 12 confirmed executions and the disappearance of at least 81 individuals, all linked to counter-insurgency operations in regions under pressure from islamist armed groups.
key findings of human rights watch
- mass killings in sebabougou: in april 2025, soldiers and Wagner fighters allegedly executed 65 fulani herders and cattle traders in the village of sebabougou (region of kayes) after detaining them at an army camp.
- systematic arrests in kourma: on march 19, 2025, 12 fulani men were abducted from a livestock market and remain missing, according to relatives and witnesses.
- executions in belidanédji: on march 30, 2025, soldiers and Wagner fighters killed at least six fulani civilians fleeing violence, with victims shot at close range.
- torture and disappearances in farana: four fulani men were beaten and likely killed by soldiers near a river in march 2025, with their remains never recovered.
international condemnation and legal implications
Human rights groups and the african union have called for urgent investigations into these alleged war crimes, emphasizing that all parties—including the Mali junta and russian-linked paramilitary forces—must be held accountable under international law. The united nations has corroborated reports of summary executions, while the international criminal court continues its ongoing investigation into crimes committed in Mali since 2012.
why are fulani civilians targeted?
Islamist armed groups, including the group for the support of islam and muslims (gsim), have historically recruited within the fulani community. Successive malian governments have conflated the ethnic group with insurgents, placing fulani civilians at heightened risk of collective punishment and abuse by state forces and their allies.
testimonies reveal brutal tactics
«they tied our hands, blindfolded us, and loaded us into trucks like animals. We never heard from them again.» — a relative of one of the disappeared in kourma.
Witnesses describe soldiers and Wagner fighters using excessive force, including beatings, extrajudicial killings, and the burning of homes in villages suspected of harboring islamist fighters. Satellite imagery analyzed by human rights organizations confirms the destruction of at least 30 homes in the village of kobou following a military raid in january 2025.
Russia’s shifting presence in Mali
While the malian junta has denied the presence of foreign mercenaries, russian officials have acknowledged that the Wagner group operates in the country as security contractors. In june 2025, it was reported that Wagner fighters would be replaced by a new russian paramilitary unit, africa corps, under direct kremlin control following the death of Wagner’s founder, yevgeny prigozhin.
This transition coincides with a surge in islamist attacks and separatist violence in northern Mali, raising concerns about escalating civilian harm amid weakened regional oversight.
urgent calls for accountability
Human rights organizations urge the african union and the international criminal court to pressure the malian junta to:
- investigate all allegations of war crimes and hold perpetrators accountable
- reveal the whereabouts of disappeared individuals and allow independent monitoring of detention sites
- provide reparations to victims’ families and end the culture of impunity
The situation remains dire for fulani civilians in Mali, caught between state-led violence and islamist insurgency, with little hope for justice under current conditions.
