Refugees fleeing violence in northern Mali have recounted harrowing accounts of sexual violence, killings and other abuses they attribute to fighters from Russia’s Africa Corps, a military unit operating in the conflict zone. The testimonies were gathered by The Associated Press in and around camps in Mauritania’s Hodh El Chargui Region, where more than 3,300 people have crossed into safety in recent weeks following intensifying fighting.
According to refugees interviewed, a range of serious violations has occurred, including rapes, among them that of a 14-year-old girl who arrived at a makeshift clinic in severe shock with injuries linked to sexual assault and reports of executed family members. Witnesses also described villages burned and bodies discovered with severe injuries, such as missing organs.
Although the United Nations has documented abuses by all parties in Mali’s long-running conflict, accusations against Russia’s Africa Corps fighters represent a new and disturbing dimension, given the group’s origins as a replacement for the notorious Wagner mercenary force previously engaged in the Sahel. Legal experts say that the presence of Africa Corps under Russian military oversight could implicate Russian authorities in responsibility for the actions of its personnel under international law.
Refugees and aid workers say the true scale of sexual violence is likely much higher than reported, as fear of reprisals, limited access to medical care, and social stigma around assault suppress reporting. Humanitarian agencies note that remote and inaccessible areas make independent verification extremely difficult.
The violence in northern Mali is also being compounded by broader instability in the Sahel, including militant actions by al-Qaida-linked groups, which have imposed blockades and driven populations across borders to escape insecurity.
