A joint investigation by Le Monde and Forbidden Stories, in collaboration with media partners, has exposed serious human rights violations committed by the Russian paramilitary group Wagner in Mali before its withdrawal.
The report reveals arbitrary arrests, secret detentions, and torture that, in some cases, led to death. The main targets of these abuses were Fulani and Tuareg communities.
Survivors described brutal torture methods, including waterboarding, burning, and beatings with electric cables. The investigation also documents summary executions and beheadings.
Wagner is said to have operated independently, using at least six military bases — some of which were former UN facilities — to illegally detain civilians.
The group is accused of extortion, property seizures, and detaining individuals for ransom. Some detainees were reportedly used as “human targets” for shooting practice.
Neither Malian nor Russian authorities have commented on these allegations, despite the investigation providing substantial evidence of human rights abuses that have fueled mass displacement and escalating violence across Mali
