The UN was called to investigate the possible crimes of PMC Wagner in Mali

UN experts called for an independent investigation into possible war crimes committed by government forces and the Russian PMC Wagner in Mali. This was reported by the Reuters agency.

In 2021, the country’s authorities hired “PMC Wagner”, justifying this by the fact that the fighters of this organization will fight with groups associated with terrorists from “Al-Qaeda” and “Islamic State”.

“Since 2021, experts have constantly received alarming reports of horrific executions, mass burials, torture, rape and sexual violence, robberies, arbitrary detentions and disappearances committed by the Malian armed forces and their allies,” said the statement of UN experts quoted by the agency .

• In December 2021, France, Germany, and more than ten European countries and Canada condemned the placement of Wagner PMC mercenaries in Mali. The joint statement said that the presence of mercenaries in Mali “can only further worsen the situation in West Africa, lead to an aggravation of the human rights situation and prevent the international community from protecting civilians and supporting the Malian armed forces.”
• In April 2022, Russian military instructors in Mali were suspected of participating in mass murders of residents of the territories where the operation of government forces took place. According to Human Rights Watch, over the course of several days at the end of March, government troops, with the support of foreigners, whom several sources called Russians, executed without trial at least 300 residents of the suburbs of the city of Mura in the south of the country. Some of those killed were suspected of involvement in armed Islamist organizations, human rights activists note.
• In August 2020, a military coup occurred in Mali, the country’s president was arrested, and the parliament and government were dissolved. The junta that seized power calls itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People.
• “PMC Wagner”, founded by a businessman close to Vladimir Putin, Evgeny Prigozhin, actively participates in the war in Ukraine.