UN experts call for investigation into PMC “Wagner” war crimes in Mali

On Tuesday, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva launched an appeal by independent UN experts calling for an immediate independent investigation into gross human rights violations and possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Mali by government and military forces since 2021. the contractor of the current government of Mali – the Russian PMC “Wagner”.Mali’s government was replaced in a military coup in 2021.
Mali’s current regime claims to be fighting militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.According to the official version of the government of Mali, the Russian soldiers present in this West African country are not mercenaries, but instructors who teach how to operate with weapons and military equipment purchased in Russia.UN independent experts issued a statement stating that “since 2021, experts have consistently received disturbing reports of horrific executions, mass graves, torture, rape and sexual violence, looting, detention arbitrary acts and enforced disappearances perpetrated by the Malian armed forces and their allies in the Mopti region and other places, in the context of ongoing hostilities.All of these crimes, and potentially war crimes, require a thorough investigation at the international level.The statement specifically notes the report that “over a period of several days, in late March 2022, the Malian armed forces, escorted by troops suspected of belonging to the Wagner group, executed several hundred people detained in Mura, in the center of Mali”. According to UN experts, most of the victims belonged to the Fulani ethnic minority.The OHCHR is particularly concerned that “an increasing number of military functions in Mali are being taken over by the Wagner group, including participation in counter-terrorism operations, notably in Nia Ouro, Gouni and Fakala”.“Mali must exercise the greatest vigilance to prohibit the direct participation in hostilities of all individuals operating on its territory. The use of mercenaries, mercenaries, private security and military companies only exacerbates the cycle of violence and impunity that prevails in the country,” experts said.According to them, the victims of the Wagner group encounter difficulties and cannot obtain justice. They have no means of “legal protection against human rights violations, all forms of sexual violence and related crimes”. The situation is aggravated by the secrecy and non-transparency of all aspects of the Wagner Group’s activities in Mali. “The opacity and ambiguity of the legal status of the Wagner Group, combined with the repression against those who dare to speak out against them, creates a general atmosphere of terror and total impunity for the victims of the Wagner Group”, indicates the communicated.According to Reuters, surviving witnesses in Moore said white mercenaries took part in the massacre. This story caused an international outcry and the UN launched a preliminary investigation into what happened to Moore.
The Malian army denies any wrongdoing in Mura and said it killed 203 militants there in what it called a “military operation”.The Wagner Group has gained international attention for its combat role in the war in Ukraine. Last week, the United States included Wagner’s PMCs in the list of transnational criminal organizations.