Mali jihadists claim capture of Wagner Group mercenary after massacre

Islamist militants claim to have captured a Russian mercenary in Mali where the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group has hundreds of fighters backing the military junta.

The Russian was seized in early April during fighting in and around a village in central Mali, according to a statement by Group to Support Islam and Muslims, which is linked to al-Qaeda and described the outsiders as “murderous forces”.

Wagner was accused of joining Malian troops in the massacre of hundreds of men, mostly civilians, in the village of Moura, which human rights groups estimate is the worst atrocity in the decade since violence engulfed the west African state.

The jihadists’ claims echoed witness reports emerging from Moura that “dozens of white soldiers” sealed off the area ahead of mass executions. While some of those killed were linked to Mali’s insurgency, most were innocent bystanders.

 “These murderous forces participated with the Malian army in an airdrop operation on a market in the village of Moura, where they confronted several mujahideen before encircling this locality for five days and killing hundreds of innocent civilians,” said the group statement, which was authenticated by SITE intelligence, a monitor of global jihadist activities.

The authorities in Bamako confirmed their forces “neutralised” 203 jihadists in Moura but has refused a request by the United Nations to visit and take statements.

Spiralling insecurity in Mali, which has had two coups in the past two years, and is the centre of the insurgency creeping across the Sahel, has been a boon for Russia’s ambitions in Africa.

Bamako signed a monthly contract worth $10 million with Wagner after Paris announced the withdrawal of troops from its former colony, which has been helping fight Islamic extremists since 2013.

Wagner, seen as President Putin’s private army, has established itself in 16 fragile African states where it is rebuilding Russia’s Soviet-era influence on the continent.

A parallel propaganda campaign waged on social media has helped to whip up anti-France and anti-Western sentiment and present Russia as an appealing partner.

The French military last week accused Russia of launching “an information attack” after drone footage emerged of Russian fighters burying bodies near a base that France had just left. The video was shared on social media from an account that suggested it was a mass grave dug by French soldiers.

 “This manoeuvre is to discredit the [Operation] Barkhane force. It seems co-ordinated. It is representative of multiple information attacks French soldiers have faced for several months,” the military said in a statement.