Important stories: Wagnerites created a network of illegal prisons in Mali where they tortured civilians
In Mali, Russian militants of the Wagner Group organized a network of illegal prisons where they detained and tortured civilians. This is the result of a joint investigation by Forbidden Stories, France 24, and Le Monde journalists with the participation of Important Stories.
The existence of the prison network was confirmed by the testimony of former prisoners collected in the Mbera refugee camp in Mauritania. It has become a temporary refuge for 118,000 Malians who fled the country, which has long been in conflict with the government and Tuareg rebels.
Forbidden Stories managed to identify six prisons in different cities of the country: Nampala, Sevare, Bafo and others. Some of them are located on the territories of official bases of the Malian military.
The actual number of such prisons is likely to be much higher, experts who follow the situation in Mali emphasize.
"Wagner has prisons almost everywhere they are based. Anyone who is arrested but not immediately killed ends up in these prisons. They kidnap herders, traders, transporters," said an unnamed source who specializes in the Sahel region of Africa, which includes Mali.
Former prisoners told journalists about beatings with electric cables or sticks, torture by drowning, detention in metal containers under the scorching sun, and electric shocks. They also mentioned forced labor and starvation. One former prisoner told journalists that they were usually tortured to Russian music.
According to the human rights organization Kal Akal, which monitors human rights violations in Mali, a total of 668 civilians were arrested, abducted, or simply disappeared from November 2023 to April 2025. Those suspected of having ties to jihadists or separatists, or those detained during mass raids, are imprisoned.
"Wagner's men decide who they take away. Mali's military cannot influence them," a Malian army officer told reporters on condition of anonymity.
Attayeh Ag Mohamed Abubakrin, secretary general of the Kal Akal human rights association, said that abductions for money are common. Some prisoners have been released for ransom, he added.
The Wagner Group has been operating in Mali since the end of 2021, after the French mission left the country following the coup and the military junta's rise to power. Since the arrival of Russian mercenaries in the country, they have been regularly accused of crimes against civilians during operations they conducted jointly with the Malian military.
This investigation was conducted as part of the Victoria project, named after Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna. She investigated illegal detentions in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, was captured and killed in September 2024.
- On June 11, it was reported that Russia is expanding its military presence in Africa, supplying modern weapons to sub-Saharan conflict zones, in particular to Mali.
- On June 12, the DIU reported that Russia is increasing its presence in Africa, using educational and youth programs as a tool for long-term influence.
