A joint investigation by Le Monde, Forbidden Stories, and partner media has uncovered widespread arbitrary detention and torture of civilians by Wagner mercenaries in Mali, revealing a clandestine network of secret prisons and grave human rights abuses.

A Pattern of Torture and Illegal Detentions

From December 2021 to June 2025, Wagner operated in Mali under a deal with the ruling junta, officially to fight jihadists. Instead, testimonies reveal the group established secret detention sites—often in former UN or Malian military facilities—where civilians were unlawfully imprisoned, interrogated, and tortured.

Six locations—Bapho, Kidal, Nampala, Niafounké, Sévaré, and Sofara—were used to detain civilians outside legal frameworks. Victims recount being electrocuted, waterboarded, beaten with iron rods, and burned with lighters.

Executions and Extortion Documented

Witnesses and survivors like Nawma and Wangrin describe public executions, forced labor, and ransom-driven releases. Wagner operatives reportedly executed civilians suspected of jihadist ties without trial. In some cases, those released were later shot at during their “release,” treated as target practice.

According to sources, Wagner demanded ransoms of up to 5 million CFA francs (approx. €7,600) per detainee. When victims appeared wealthy, they were sometimes executed and robbed.

Wagner’s Shadow Operations Beyond FAMa Control

Malian military officers confirmed Wagner conducted operations independently, often excluding FAMa (Malian Armed Forces) from decision-making. In shared bases, Wagner retained its own detainee zones, and soldiers said they were often unaware of what happened inside.

The group operated with brutal autonomy, as in the village of Moura, where Wagner and the army allegedly massacred over 500 civilians in March 2022—an atrocity condemned by the UN.

Departure and Replacement by Africa Corps

Wagner officially withdrew from Mali in June 2025, replaced by “Africa Corps,” a new Russian military initiative. But the legacy of violence, impunity, and trauma lingers. Survivors now live as refugees in Mauritania and other neighboring countries.

Authorities in Mali and Russia declined to comment on the findings.