Journalists from The Associated Press were granted unusual access to a refugee camp where Malian civilians accused Africa Corps, a newly formed military unit under Russian control, of serious human rights abuses. Earlier this year, Africa Corps took over from the Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary force that had been supporting the military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger in their fight against militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State across the Sahel in West Africa.
The Sahel has now become the world’s deadliest hotspot for extremist violence.Civilians say they are trapped in the middle of the conflict. While the United Nations has documented abuses by all parties, the claims against Africa Corps are new, and this is the first time the AP is reporting them.
Reporters interviewed 34 refugees living in and around the camp in neighbouring Mauritania. The refugees described horrific acts, including rape and beheadings.In a makeshift health clinic, a 14-year-old girl lay completely still, her eyes fixed and mouth slightly open, as medical staff rushed to help her. According to Bethsabee Djoman Elidje, the clinic’s women’s health coordinator, it was a critical moment in the fight to save the girl’s life.
Elidje explained that the girl was suffering from an infection linked to sexual assault and had been in severe shock for days without treatment.
Family members said the girl was raped by Russian fighters who stormed their village and beheaded her uncle. The family, along with other refugees, spoke only anonymously or used first names, citing fear of retaliation.
“We were terrified,” the girl’s aunt said. “We thought that after what they did to her, they would wipe us all out. My heart was pounding nonstop.”
The family is among more than 3,300 people who have fled northern Mali in the past month, crossing into Mauritania as fighters linked to al-Qaida’s JNIM group enforced a fuel blockade across Mali.
Legal analysts say that because Africa Corps operates as a formal Russian military unit, responsibility for its actions lies directly with Russian authorities.
Malian officials have never officially confirmed the presence of either Wagner or Africa Corps. However, Russian state media have recently aired reports from Mali, openly praising Africa Corps for protecting the country from what they describe as “terrorists.”
