A report submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, accuses Russian Wagner Group mercenaries of committing horrific war crimes in the Sahel region, particularly in Mali, between December 2021 and July 2024.
The report is based on video footage published on the group’s own media channels, showing acts of torture, executions, and mutilation of corpses — including references to cannibalistic behavior, such as a fighter threatening to “eat the liver” of his victim.
Although independent verification of these materials is difficult, they form the basis for the ICC’s investigation into violations of international humanitarian law.
These allegations come amid escalating violence in the Sahel, where governments such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have shifted away from Western alliances in favor of Russian military support through groups like Wagner — whose official ties to the Kremlin are denied by Moscow.
Russia has not commented on the report, while the International Criminal Court is currently reviewing the evidence submitted in a “detailed and confidential” file to assess its credibility.
