AP: Refugees Allege Sexual Assaults By New Russian Unit In Mali; Survivors Say Many Cases Go Unreported

The Associated Press reports that multiple women who fled the fighting in Mali told reporters they either survived or witnessed alleged rapes and other sexual assaults by fighters identified as members of a recently deployed Russian unit known as Africa Corps, which is assisting Malian forces in operations against extremist groups.

Allegations Of Sexual Assault

Refugees at the Mauritania border described a series of alleged incidents, including one 14-year-old girl who developed a severe infection after a sexual assault, according to a doctor who treated her. Her family told AP they believed she was raped by Russian soldiers. The AP documented four additional alleged incidents of sexual violence, including accounts of attempted rape by fighters described by witnesses as the "white men." Many sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation.

Doctors pick up medicine in the pharmacy of the Douankaran health clinic in the Hodh El Chargui Region, Mauritania, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

"We are still terrified by what we went through," one survivor told AP. Another said what happened to her "stays between God and me."

Abuses Reported By Multiple Armed Actors

United Nations officials and aid workers say sexual violence in Mali has been committed by combatants on all sides of the conflict, including extremist groups such as the al-Qaida‑linked JNIM and, previously, Wagner mercenaries. A women’s health clinic in the Mopti region told AP it treated 28 women in six months who reported assaults by JNIM fighters.

Previous Accusations Against Wagner

Witnesses and refugees previously accused Wagner operatives of brutal crimes while deployed in Mali. One refugee alleged a mass rape in March 2024 and said Wagner fighters had burned several men alive and then gathered and raped women, including elderly victims. A 2023 U.N. report concluded that at least 58 women and girls were raped or sexually assaulted during the attack on Moura, an incident that preceded Mali’s decision to expel the U.N. peacekeeping mission and complicated independent monitoring.

People who fled violence in Mali stand in front of the Bassikounou hospital in the Hodh El Chargui Region, where they found refuge in Mauritania, Nov. 7 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Access To Care And Barriers To Reporting

Many survivors do not report assaults because of stigma, fear of reprisals and limited access to medical and psychosocial care. The Mauritanian border area is hosting more than 150,000 displaced people, and roughly 3,000 more crossed into Mauritania in the past month as fighting intensified. New arrivals often shelter outside formal camps in fragile structures, and aid groups say many survivors never seek help.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) opened a clinic near the border in recent weeks and has treated three survivors of sexual violence; MSF and other aid organizations stress that the number of unreported cases is likely far higher.

Malian refugees fleeing violence in Mali, sit in a makeshift camp where they found refuge in Douankara, Hodh El Chargui Region, Mauritania, Nov. 9 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Legal Responsibility And Responses

Legal experts cited by AP say Russia would bear responsibility for the conduct of fighters who report to its defense ministry. Russia's defense ministry did not respond to questions from AP. Mali’s government has previously limited international access — including expelling the U.N. peacekeeping mission — which humanitarians say has made independent documentation and accountability more difficult.

Reporting Notes

The AP reports rely on interviews with refugees, medical personnel and aid workers obtained at the Mauritanian border. The AP does not identify survivors of sexual violence unless they explicitly consent to being named.