A Tuareg-led rebel group in northern Mali has accused the country’s military, alongside Russian Wagner mercenaries, of killing 24 civilians traveling toward Algeria from the city of Gao.
The Malian army, meanwhile, reported violent clashes in the region.
For more than a decade, Mali has faced a relentless insurgency from jihadist groups affiliated with al Qaeda and Islamic State. The country also contends with a long-standing Tuareg rebellion seeking autonomy in the north.
In a statement on Monday evening, the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) claimed that Malian soldiers attacked two vehicles carrying civilians.
One vehicle was reportedly set on fire, while the other managed to escape with survivors.
Family members of three victims and Kal Akal, a local human rights group, confirmed the attack.
A relative of the driver said one of the vehicles was transporting migrants.
The FLA also alleged that Malian soldiers and Wagner operatives killed four people on Sunday in the village of Aslagh, located in the Kidal region. In a separate incident, FLA fighters engaged in clashes with Malian forces and Wagner mercenaries between Anefis and Aguelhok, resulting in the deaths of five FLA combatants, according to a rebel source.
However, in a statement on Monday, the army reported several engagements west of Aguelhok and northwest of Anefis, stating that seven “terrorists” were killed—a term the government uses to describe FLA fighters. The statement further noted that Malian forces had deployed drones against “a group of terrorists” in the same area earlier that day.
