Malian armed forces are facing serious accusations of human rights violations following reports that they arrested and executed approximately two dozen Fulani civilians in central Mali earlier this week. According to a local activist affiliated with Tabital Pulaaku, an international Fulani advocacy group, the victims were apprehended at a livestock market in Diafarabe, a rural town along the Niger River.
The incident reportedly occurred on Monday, with soldiers allegedly transporting the detained men via canoe to an island cemetery, where they were killed some by execution, others by throat-slitting before being buried in a mass grave. A survivor who managed to escape alerted local contacts about the killings, prompting outrage and sparking a rare public protest led by women in Diafarabe on Wednesday.
Neither Mali’s armed forces nor the Russian military contractors backing them formerly known as Wagner, now operating under the name Africa Corps have responded to requests for comment. Both forces have been repeatedly accused of committing atrocities against civilians by international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch.
The incident in Diafarabe is part of a troubling pattern. Just last month, the United Nations called for an investigation after decomposed bodies were discovered near a military camp in Mali’s Koulikoro region. These developments have heightened scrutiny of the military junta that seized power through successive coups in 2020 and 2021.
Since ousting the previous government, the junta has expelled French and other Western forces, opting instead to deepen ties with Russia for military support. However, public discontent is on the rise. Protests have erupted across the country, with demonstrators demanding the restoration of democratic governance and the holding of long-delayed elections.
Earlier this month, hundreds gathered to denounce the junta’s grip on power, chanting “down with dictatorship, long live democracy.” Their anger was further inflamed by a national council recommendation to extend junta leader Assimi Goita’s rule by another five years and dissolve all political parties moves widely seen as consolidating authoritarian control.
The international community is now facing mounting pressure to respond to the worsening human rights situation and democratic backsliding in Mali.
