Mali

A collaborative investigation by international media outlets has uncovered secret prisons run by Russian Wagner mercenaries in Mali, where abuse and torture are carried out with impunity. Reporters with the Forbidden Stories consortium – which includes RFI's sister channel France 24 – reveal how the Wagner paramilitary group duplicated methods it has used in Russia and Ukraine. 

The Africa Corps, a Kremlin-controlled paramilitary force, said on Friday it will stay in Mali after Russia's Wagner mercenary group leaves following a 3-1/2 year fight against Islamist militants.

Islamist militants hit two more military installations on Wednesday and Thursday, Mali's army said, the latest in a quick spate of attacks that the insurgents say have killed hundreds of soldiers and underscored their gains. 

The military authorities in Mali have dissolved all political parties and repealed laws protecting political participation, drawing sharp condemnation from the UN’s top human rights official on Friday. … The clampdown comes amid a broader erosion of civic space in Mali since the military seized power in successive coups in 2020 and 2021.

The European Union has been called upon to adopt a "bold political strategy" in its engagement with the Sahel region. In an open letter addressed to the EU Vice President, Human Rights Watch said the body's "Integrated Strategy in the Sahel"  - which came into effect in April 2021 - has become largely outdated following military coups in central Sahel.

Mali's military junta has dissolved all political parties in the country amid a growing crackdown on dissent since the army seized power. "All meetings of members of political parties and organisations of a political character are dissolved across the national territory," according to a presidential decree read out on state TV on Tuesday.

A prominent opposition leader in Mali will stand trial next month for criticising the country’s military rulers, as tensions escalate over a plan to dissolve political parties and delay a return to civilian rule. 

A national political forum in Mali has proposed making military leader Assimi Goïta the country’s president, with a five-year renewable term starting in 2025.  

West African bloc ECOWAS on Wednesday expressed "deep concern" over a deepening dispute between Algeria and its southern neighbour Mali, as the two countries remained at loggerheads over an incident involving a downed drone last week.  

The foreign ministers of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are in Moscow for their first official talks with Russia, as the three Sahelian countries work to strengthen ties with Moscow after cutting relations with France and its allies.