Russians Operating Torture Sites in Mali, Investigation Finds
A global investigative project has uncovered a network of secret detention centers in Mali where civilians were tortured, abused, and, in some cases, disappeared—allegedly under the supervision of Russia’s Wagner Group and local Malian forces.
The investigation, coordinated by Forbidden Stories and involving outlets including Le Monde, France 24, and Der Spiegel, identifies at least six clandestine sites across central and northern Mali used for extrajudicial detentions between 2022 and 2024. The facilities—often located in abandoned UN bases or repurposed military outposts—were reportedly co-run by Wagner operatives and Malian troops.
“Former detainees say they were tortured while Russian music blasted in the background,” the report notes.
Survivors described beatings, electric shocks, waterboarding, forced starvation, and prolonged isolation. Several reported interrogations conducted in Russian, or with the help of interpreters.
One former prisoner, identified only as Wangrin, said he was held in a small cell with no windows, denied food for days, and tortured every night for over a week.
“It was like they were killing dogs,” he told reporters. He was never charged or brought before a court.
Most detainees were arrested under vague allegations of supporting jihadists. Investigators found no evidence of formal charges, trials, or official detention records. In at least one case, survivors said prisoners were later transferred from Mali to Russia’s own prison system, including the notorious Taganrog pre-trial detention center (SIZO-2), where other reports have documented torture.
The findings echo what human rights organizations have extensively documented in Ukraine’s occupied territories since 2022: arbitrary arrests, systematic torture, and secret transfers of detainees into Russian-controlled facilities. In both Ukraine and Mali, victims have reported similar methods—beatings, forced confessions, and psychological torment.
One grim parallel stands out. In Russian-run prisons in occupied Ukraine, witnesses and survivors have described surgeries and amputations performed without anesthesia, often as punishment or under the guise of medical necessity. Human rights groups have called these acts torture. The resemblance to what is now emerging in Mali—crude detention conditions, physical abuse, and total legal isolation—suggests a disturbing export of Russian repressive techniques beyond Europe.
Wagner’s presence in Mali dates back to late 2021, following a breakdown in relations between Bamako and Western governments. After the withdrawal of French and EU forces, the transitional military government signed a security agreement with Russia, bringing in what it described as “military instructors.” In reality, these were Wagner personnel, many with combat experience in Ukraine, Syria, and the Central African Republic.
The report identifies secret detention sites in Nampala, Sévaré, Kidal, and Mopti, some of them within or adjacent to Malian army compounds. One site was built into a series of shipping containers on the edge of a military base. Another operated out of a former UN facility. Most were not formally registered as prisons, and some operated in full view of nearby international staff.
Forbidden Stories and its partners interviewed more than 70 individuals, including former detainees, local officials, and soldiers who defected from the Malian military. Many spoke on condition of anonymity due to ongoing fear of reprisals. In their testimonies, they described a consistent pattern of Russian-led operations: arrests without warrants, transport to informal sites, and prolonged torture aimed at extracting confessions or intimidating communities.
The Wagner Group has operated globally under opaque legal conditions. Though often described as a “private military company,” Wagner has long been intertwined with Russian state institutions, including the GRU (Russia’s military intelligence agency).
