Russian paramilitary group Africa Corps has been accused of killing eight civilians, including three children, in Mali last month, according to Human Rights Watch.

Background

Africa Corps, established by Russia’s defence ministry, has largely taken over the mercenary Wagner Group’s activities on the continent and is backing operations by Mali’s military-led government against armed Islamist groups.

A HRW investigation found that an aircraft identified by two Malian military sources as a Sukhoi Su-24 dropped at least two munitions on the village of Kyrnia in the central Mopti region on June 15.

One strike hit near the home of the village chief, killing his wife, two of his children and another child, while a second strike hit a nearby cattle market, killing four men, HRW said.

It added that no fighters from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) — the al Qaeda-linked group HRW said has controlled the village for the past six years — were believed to have been killed.

Response

Africa Corps posted aerial footage on Facebook and X of a strike on a village that it said it carried out on June 15, stating that it had attacked a “gathering place of terrorist groups” in the Mopti region.

HRW said it was able to geolocate that footage to Kyrnia.

Reuters could not independently verify the incident.

Government authorities in Russia and Mali did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.