Lawsuit filed over alleged abuses in Mali by armed forces and Wagner Group

Three human rights organizations filed a lawsuit against the government of Mali with the African Union Court of Human Rights on Monday.

They said in a statement the suit concerns "serious human rights violations" allegedly committed against civilians in Mali in 2022 by the country's armed forces and the Wagner Group.

The Russian group has been accused of massacres and a long series of other abuses against civilians in Mali, including in 2022. It was replaced last year by the similarly Kremlin-controlled Africa Corps.

After breaking with former colonial power France in 2021, Mali's junta government approached Russia for help against advancing jihadists.