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UN calls for Mali to probe alleged executions by army and Russian mercenaries

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — United Nations experts on Wednesday urged Malian authorities to investigate reports of alleged summary executions and forced disappearances by the army and Russian mercenaries, following the discovery of dozens of bodies near a military camp last week.

According to a statement from the U.N. humanitarian agency, the bodies were found near the Kwala military camp in western Mali’s Koulikoro region between April 21 and 22, and are suspected to be those of men arrested by Malian soldiers and mercenaries from the Russia-backed Wagner Group ten days earlier.

Citing “unconfirmed reports,” the agency said around 60 men, most of them ethnic Fulani, were allegedly tortured and interrogated at the camp about alleged links with “terrorists," before being executed.

The Associated Press has not been able to independently verify the reports. Spokespeople for Mali's military and the government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The U.N. experts said that, if confirmed, the killings may amount to war crimes, while the forced disappearances may constitute crimes against humanity. They urged Malian authorities to conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the killings and forced disappearances of the men.

Fulani people — also known as the Peuhl — are disproportionately represented in Islamic militant groups in central Mali, which has led to them being stigmatized by other ethnic groups and security forces.

Mali, along with neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has for more than a decade battled an insurgency fought by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russian mercenary units for security assistance instead. Since seizing power in 2021, interim president Assimi Goita has struggled to curb violence in Mali, while the army has been accused of targeting civilians.

In December, Human Rights Watch accused Malian armed forces and the Wagner Group of deliberately killing at least 32 civilians over an 8-month span.