Alleged Atrocities by Russia’s ‘Africa Corps’ in Mali: Witnesses Report Rape, Beheadings and Organ Harvesting

Witnesses, refugees and an Associated Press investigation allege that Russian forces operating in Mali under the banner of the so-called "Africa Corps" have been committing extreme human rights abuses, including rape, summary executions, beheadings and the removal of organs from victims. The unit is said to be operating under the stated objective of combating extremist groups in the Sahel.

Moscow’s Africa Corps appears to have replaced the disbanded Wagner mercenary group, which was previously accused of abuses across Africa. Multiple witnesses told AP that the unit has shot civilians on sight, burned villages and in some cases removed organs from bodies found after attacks.

“It’s a scorched earth policy,” a Malian village chief who fled the operations told investigators. “The soldiers speak to no one. Anyone they see, they shoot. No questions, no warning. People don’t even know why they are being killed.”

Two refugees showed video of villages set alight to AP investigators, and two other witnesses said they discovered relatives whose livers and kidneys were missing. Survivors described masked fighters and behavior they associated with the former Wagner presence.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that an "Africa Corps" is operating in Mali "at the request of the Malian authorities," though Malian officials have not publicly acknowledged the deployment. Analysts estimate roughly 2,000 fighters connected with the group operate in Mali following the dissolution of Wagner after the death of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in 2023.

Local residents described targeted killings, looting and abductions. One refugee, identified as Mougaloa, said masked "white men" killed her 20-year-old son after he was questioned by Malian soldiers, and later abducted her daughter. Another woman reported finding her son shot dead and losing a daughter who died while fleeing toward Mauritania.

Data compiled by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) show civilian deaths blamed on Russian forces fell to 447 this year from 911 the previous year, but analysts caution such figures may understate the true toll because many people are too frightened to report abuses.

International engagement in Mali has shifted markedly: a UN peacekeeping mission withdrew from the country in 2023, and Mali withdrew from the International Criminal Court this year. A UN independent expert, Eduardo Gonzalez Cueva, said Mali’s ruling junta, which seized power in a 2021 coup, did not respond to his requests for visits and questionnaires this year.

This account is based on witness testimony and reporting by the Associated Press. Independent verification of every allegation remains challenging in the conflict zone; human rights groups and international bodies continue to call for transparent investigations and accountability.