Those seeking asylum assert that Russians seized provisions and precious items from inhabitants, assaulted and murdered their kin, and abducted women.
Refugees from Mali / © Associated Press
Russian soldiers from the African Corps, functioning under the authority of the Russian Federation’s Defense Ministry, employ analogous approaches to their forerunners from the Wagner private military company. In Mali, they are incinerating settlements, executing non-combatants, and abducting females.
This was communicated by evacuees originating from this African nation, as reported by the Associated Press.
In total, journalists conducted interviews with 34 displaced persons who escaped to the frontier with Mauritania.
“The combatants do not engage in dialogue with anyone. They shoot anyone they encounter. No inquiries, no forewarnings. People are not even cognizant of the rationale for their demise,” one of the fugitives expressed.
Several additional individuals conveyed that their hamlets had been set ablaze, whereas others discovered cadavers with their organs excised in locales where Russian hired soldiers had transited.
Displaced persons contend that the Russians commandeered sustenance and valuables from residents, physically harmed and killed their family members suspected of affiliations with jihadists, and forcibly removed women.
“Merely the designation has been altered. The apparel, the vehicles, the individuals have persisted unchanged. The modalities have remained consistent and have even deteriorated,” a refugee identified as Bokar imparted to journalists.
Specialists approximate that a minimum of 5,000 civilians have perished in Mali since 2023, coinciding with the withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping mission from the African territory. Approximately half of these fatalities transpired during incursions by the armed forces, encompassing Russian mercenaries.
Ascertaining the precise tally of African Corps militants in Mali presents difficulties. Analysts assess the contingent’s strength at around two thousand individuals. The Russian Ministry of Defense unit is enlisting mercenaries from Russia, Belarus, and various African nations.
The Russian Federation’s Defense Ministry did not furnish a response to AP’s request for elucidation.
Let us recollect that until recently, the Republic of Mali remained virtually the singular region on the continent overseen by the Wagner Group. Subsequent to the demise of the Wagner Group’s commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the majority of these mercenaries transitioned under the complete jurisdiction of the Defense Ministry and were reassigned to the African Corps.
Source: tsn.ua