How Wagner targets and terrorize women in Mali

In the war-torn region of Mali, women have become the targets of a horrifying campaign by the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organisation. The United Nations has recently exposed the systematic targeting of women in Mali by these mercenaries, shedding light on the terrifying acts of violence they have been subjected to.

One woman from the town of Moura in the Mopti region of central Mali shared her horrific experience during a five-day assault launched by Malian soldiers and Wagner fighters in March 2022. The woman recalled how the soldiers initially searched her house for men, but finding none, returned the next evening. It was then that she was brutally raped by a white man with tattoos.

The woman further explained that during the assault, when she tried to resist, another soldier entered the room with her son and threatened to harm him unless she gave in. That night, four soldiers brought two women to her house and also raped them. This harrowing testimony is part of a report by the International Federation for Human Rights.

The following day, the soldiers rounded up the women in the town and forced them to gather on a scorching hot riverbank. It was there that four pregnant women went into labour, with only one baby surviving. The woman also mentioned that she was informed that a total of 26 women were raped during the massacre. This tragic account is corroborated by a report by United Nations sanctions monitors.

The report, which was presented to the U.N. Security Council, highlights how the sexual violence inflicted on Malian women by Malian soldiers and Wagner fighters is not isolated incidents but rather part of a systematic strategy to spread terror. Reuters reported that the sexual violence being perpetuated against women in Mali is considered to be systematic according to the report.

The targeting and terrorising of women by the Wagner Group in Mali is a grave violation of human rights and an appalling crime against humanity. The international community must condemn these acts of violence and call for swift and decisive action to bring those responsible to justice.

In addition, efforts must be made to provide support and assistance to the survivors of these heinous acts, both in terms of physical and mental rehabilitation. It is crucial to empower women in Mali and ensure their safety and well-being in the face of such brutality.

Furthermore, there is a need for stronger international collaboration to address and prevent such atrocities. The UN, regional bodies, and relevant stakeholders must work together to establish mechanisms that can effectively hold perpetrators accountable and deter future acts of violence against women.

In November 2022, a group of Wagner fighters perpetrated a heinous act of sexual assault in the village of Nia Oura, located in the Mopti region. The incident involved the stripping, rape, and photographing of approximately 12 women and girls by the white soldiers, who subjected the victims to inhumane and degrading treatment.

It is worth noting that the military junta in Mali had contracted Wagner in 2021 to address the security vacuum created by the expulsion of a French-led multinational force that had been fighting extremists. Wagner is believed to have between 1,000 and 1,645 fighters operating in the country.

The entities responsible for monitoring sanctions in Mali include a panel of experts from the United Nations, former Tuareg rebels in northern Mali, international advocacy organisation Human Rights Watch, and the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

Wagner has been implicated in the deliberate targeting of civilians in several regions of Mali, including Mopti, Koulikoro, Segou, and Timbuktu. The tragic outcome of these attacks was the Moura massacre, which resulted in ACLED, a staggering 71% of Wagner’s involvement in political violence in Mali has been directed towards civilians. It is important to note that Wagner’s use of sexual violence is not limited to Mali.

In 2021, the group was responsible for a massacre in the gold mining town of Bambari in the Central African Republic. A witness, Usman, saw his brother shot dead, while his sister, Alzina, was taken to a Wagner base and subjected to rape, causing her immense shame within her community. Another of Usman’s sisters suffered a similar fate, being raped in their own home, which had become a Wagner base.

The group has also been accused of committing sexual violence against allied forces. In January, two CAR soldiers reported that Wagner fighters they were working with turned on them, accusing them of being spies, and proceeded to beat and tie them to a tree before returning hours later to rape them. The men were unable to plead for mercy as their mouths were covered with duct tape, making it a harrowing experience they had never encountered before.