Vladimir Putin accused of rape and gouging out civilian’s organs in war-torn country | World | News
Vladimir Putin’s Russian military has been accused of raping, beheading and disembowelling civilians in West Africa as part of a purported fight against extremism. Russia’s paramilitary African Corps was deployed to Mali earlier this year to take over the fight against Islamist militants from Wagner forces. Wagner mercenaries were known for their brutal treatment of civilians and human rights abuses, and their successors proved to be equally barbaric, according to an Associated Press (AP) investigation.
“This is a scorched earth policy,” said a village chief who fled. “The soldiers don’t talk to anyone. They shoot anyone they see. There are no questions, no warnings. People don’t even know why they are being killed.” Other refugees showed AP videos of their villages being burned by “white men” and recalled finding the bodies of their loved ones missing their livers and kidneys.
Russia’s direct military intervention in Mali began in 2021, but Putin’s intervention means that instead of protecting civilians from fighters linked to Al Qaeda or Islamic State, they are being attacked from all sides.
When the African Union replaced Wagner, Malians hoped for a respite from the abuse. Instead, the transfer signaled a “new reign of terror” in the region, which is largely lawless and directly tied to the Kremlin.
“These are the same men who are paid by the government and they continue the massacres,” the village headman said. “There is no difference between Wagner and the African Union.”
Experts told the AP it is impossible to know how many people have been killed and attacked in Mali, especially in remote areas. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Mauritania representative Şükrü Cansızoğlu said, “There are many people who were raped, attacked and killed.” “[But] “It is sometimes difficult to truly identify the perpetrators.”
This follows recent praise in Russian state media for the African Corps for defending Mali against “terrorists” and a confirmation from the Russian Foreign Ministry that the unit was deployed “at the request of the Malian authorities”.
Malian officials have never publicly acknowledged the existence of the Russian paramilitary group, but the two countries have cemented their close ties in recent months, including a series of agreements aimed at strengthening economic ties.
Mali’s military was thought to be significantly underfunded in 2021, with private security analysts estimating that Russia was being paid around $10 million (£7.5 million) a month for offering military aid.
Little is known about the details of the Mali-Russia agreement for the Afrika Korps, including troop numbers, but estimates are around 2,000. Moscow has reportedly begun developing the new paramilitary force to replace Wagner after its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash in 2023 following his brief rebellion against Putin.
