‘White hands’: The rise of private armies in African conflicts

This undated photograph handed out by French military shows three Russian mercenaries, right, in northern Mali. [French Army via AP]

Ahead of the holy month of Ramadan every year, traders from neighbouring towns flock to the popular cattle market in the central Malian town of Moura. That ritual continued this year.

But on March 27 – one of those market days – military helicopters suddenly appeared in the sky. Malian troops and foreign soldiers descended on the busy market to target members of armed groups who had controlled the remote town for years.