Rebels in Mali claim that an army and Russian soldiers killed nine people in a car attack

Late on Saturday, a rebel alliance and a civil society group stated that the army and Russian mercenaries were responsible for the attack on a vehicle in the Segou district of Mali last week, which murdered nine civilians, including women and children.

Speaking on Thursday, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesman for the coalition of Tuareg organizations fighting for an independent nation in northern Mali, claimed the car was heading from the town of Niono to a refugee camp in Mauritania when it was fired upon.

According to him and Kal Akal, a local civil society organization, the attack was carried out by the Malian military and associate fighters from Russia’s Wagner private military contractor outfit.

While calling for an investigation, the leader of Kel Ansar, one of the biggest Tuareg organizations, declared in a separate statement that Malian troops were not responsible for the killing.

An inquiry for comment was not answered by the Malian army. It took a while to get in touch with Wagner.

Since the army ousted French and U.N. forces from Mali in two coups in 2020 and 2021, Wagner fighters have been working there. In their conflict with Islamist rebels and Tuareg separatists, they have been aiding Malian forces.

Human Rights Watch reported in December that Islamist armed groups and Mali’s military forces, with Wagner’s help, had violated the laws of war by killing civilians.