Russian mercenaries and Mali army accused of killing 300 civilians

A file photograph of a Malian soldier on patrol in eastern Mali. The army has long been accused of rights abuses during counter-insurgency operations. Photograph: Joerg Boethling/Alamy

Suspected Russian mercenaries participated in an operation with Mali’s army in March in which about 300 civilian men were allegedly killed over five days, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.

Witnesses and local community leaders said hundreds of men were rounded up and killed in small groups during the anti-jihadist operation on 23 March in the central town of Moura. The rural town of about 10,000 inhabitants is in the Mopti region, a hotspot of jihadist activity that has intensified and spread to neighbouring countries in the Sahel region.