300 People Allegedly Executed By Mali Troops, Suspected Russian Fighters In 'Deliberate Slaughter'

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Malian troops and suspected Russian mercenaries of killing an estimated 300 civilian men, of which some were believed to be suspected Islamist fighters, in the west African country's central town of Moura.

The massacre is being called a "deliberate slaughter" of the detained people.

“Abuses by armed Islamist groups is no justification at all for the military’s deliberate slaughter of people in custody,” Corinne Dufka, Sahel director at HRW said, labelling the incident the worst single atrocity to have been carried out in Mali’s decade-long armed conflict. “The Malian government is responsible for this atrocity, the worst in Mali in a decade, whether carried about by Malian forces or associated foreign soldiers.”

It was believed most of the men killed were those detained during a military operation that began on March 27. The execution reportedly took place in small groups after hundreds were rounded up in Moura – a town of about 10,000 residents located in the Djenné administrative area of central Mali.

In a statement on April 1, the Malian defense ministry said from March 23 to 31, the army had killed 203 “terrorists” and arrested 51 more. The terrorists were targeted after the country's defense received intelligence suggesting that armed Islamists were planning a “meeting with different Katibats [battalions]” in Moura.

The HRW interviewed 27 people with knowledge of the killings, including witnesses from Moura.

"I lived in terror, each minute, each second thinking it would be my turn to be taken away and executed. Even after being told to go, I feared it was a trap," one man who witnessed some executions was quoted as saying. "As I walked away, slowly, I held my hand on my chest, holding my breath, and waiting for a bullet to pass through my body."

Over 100 Russian troops and numerous other Malian soldiers were part of the harrowing operation, multiple security sources told the international non-governmental organization.

“The Malian government should urgently and impartially investigate these mass killings, including the role of foreign soldiers,” Dufka said. “For such investigations to be sufficiently independent and credible, the authorities should seek assistance from the African Union and the United Nations.”

According to HRW, Moura has been under the "quasi-control" of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim). While there have been reports of mercenaries from Russia's Wagner group helping Mali fight the insurgents, the West African nation's junta has denied the claims.