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Siege of Mourrah
Part of the Mali War
DateMarch 27, 2022 (2022-March-27)–March 31, 2022 (2022-March-31)
Location
Mourrah, Mali
Result Malian victory
Belligerents
 Mali Armed Forces
File:Wagnerlogo.png Wagner Group (alleged)		 al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Strength
File:Wagnerlogo.png 100
Casualties and losses
File:Wagnerlogo.png 2+ 203 (per Mali)
300 civilians killed (per Human Rights Watch)

From March 27 to March 31, 2022, the Malian Armed Forces, reportedly collaborating with the Russian mercenary company called the Wagner Group set siege to the central Malian town of Mourrah, Mopti Region during a nine-day operation against jihadists. Malian forces attracted international outcry after Human Rights Watch accused Mali and the Wagner Group of committing a massacre against civilians.

Background

Main article: Mali War

Since January 2012, Mali has been embroiled in a civil war between Islamist insurgents and the Malian government. France joined the conflict the next year, but announced after the 2020 Malian coup d'état their intention to gradually dwindle down French forces and withdraw them from the country. Mali has since looked for other ways to acquire foreign help, and has reportedly received help from a Russian private military company called the Wagner Group, which Malian and Russian forces both insisted were only there to serve as military advisors.[1][2] Human Rights Watch documented at least 71 individual cases of civilians summarily executed by security forces from December 2021 to March 2022.[3] Islamist activities have also raised concerns, with France24 journalist Wassim Nasr suggesting the siege was in part a retaliation for a repeated attacks on the village of Dogofry, Ségou by members of the Islamist Macina Liberation Front.[4]

The town of Mourrah in particular has been likened to having been under the "quasi-control" of jihadists, particularly Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which enforced sharia law on villagers.[5] In 2022 Muhammed Kufa, AQIM's second-in-command leader, was spotted in the city.[4]

Siege

The siege began on 27 March when government forces ordered an operation to clear jihadists from Mourrah.[6] Military helicopters landed near the town's market as the soldiers stepped out and approached a group of around 30 jihadists, who fired at them, killing at least two White soldiers (most likely from the Wagner Group) and an unknown amount of government ones.[7] Malian forces fired back, killing several people. Several civilians saw the scene unfold and tried to flee, but were followed by a helicopter that seemed to be deliberately firing at running civilians.[8]

According to testimonies, Malian and Russian soldiers proceeded by deploying themselves across the town, blocking off exits and killing anybody who tried to escape.[8] Security forces detained and interrogated hundreds of civilian men, often confiscating their belongings, including their telephones. Men who refused to be rounded up were shot on the spot by Russian mercenaries.[8] The detainees were then sent to the river bank where they were rounded up into groups of 4, 6, or 10 and then executed en masse.[9][8]

Witnesses disagreed on the reasons why the men were singled out for execution, with some asserting that men wearing beards and traditional Islamic clothing were more likely to be targeted due to their similar appearances to Islamists. Others told Human Rights Watch that the people who had been executed were targeted due to their ethnic Fulani background.[8]

The operation came to an end on March 31. A witness told Human Rights Watch he had overheard a government officer tell someone over his walkie-talkie to "Stop killing people, let them go," and the killings stopped.[8]

According to reports around 100 White soldiers who spoke a language other than French participated in the siege. Villagers believed they were Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group as they had heard stories about their involvement in the conflict earlier in the year.[8] Many of these mercenaries were accused of being responsible for interrogations, torture and mass executions of civilians.[10]

Aftermath

On April 1, the Malian government announced it had finished a nine-day military operation centred around Mourrah region and that over 203 terrorists had been killed.[4]

Social media posts purporting that a massacre had taken place in the city went viral in the country, sparking a controversy.[4][2][7] On April 5, Human Rights Watch issued a major report detailing the siege, which stated that over 300 civilians had been killed by Malian forces in what it termed the "worst single atrocity" in the history of the Mali War.[a][8]

The report raised international attention, and the massacre received condemnations from the German Federal Foreign Office,[7] France,[11] and the United States Department of State.[12]

United Nations official Alioune Tine requested for an investigation into the incident on April 6.[13] The Malian government opened an inquiry the next day, which was congratulated by representatives of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali.[11]

On April 8 the Russian Foreign Ministry congratulated Mali's actions, describing reports of a massacre as disinformation.[14]

Notes

  1. ^ This estimate is built on the conclusions of town elders. A survivor who was forced to dig mass graves counted at least 241 casualties.

References

  1. ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Malian army and suspected Russian fighters accused of massacre | DW | 06.04.2022". DW.COM. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Mali says it has opened investigation into alleged massacre in village of Moura". France 24. April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  3. ^ Reuters (April 2, 2022). "Mali says military operation in Moura area kills 200 militants". Reuters. Retrieved April 9, 2022. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ a b c d "Mali opens investigation into alleged massacre in Moura village". RFI. April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  5. ^ "Mali troops and suspected Russian fighters accused of massacre". BBC News. April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  6. ^ "Mali Says 203 Killed in Military Operation in Sahel State". VOA. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "Russian mercenaries and Mali army accused of killing 300 civilians". the Guardian. April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h "Mali: Massacre by Army, Foreign Soldiers". Human Rights Watch. April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  9. ^ "Malian, foreign soldiers allegedly killed hundreds in town siege -rights group". Reuters. April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  10. ^ "Malian, foreign soldiers allegedly killed hundreds in town siege -rights group". Reuters. April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "UN demands urgent access to site of alleged Mali massacre in Moura". RFI. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  12. ^ "Reported Massacre in Mali". United States Department of State. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  13. ^ "Mali: UN expert urges probe into grave rights violations in Moura".
  14. ^ "Moscow hails Mali 'victory' after Moura operation". Al Arabiya English. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moura_Massacre&oldid=1081789767