“If the Russian mercenaries depart, we will return home,” declares Mosso*, a Malian refugee in Mauritania. He expresses a cautious hope for repatriation following significant assaults in late April against the Malian army and its Russian partners, now known as Africa Corps. These coordinated attacks, executed by the separatist Front de libération de l’Azawad (FLA) and jihadists from the Groupe de soutien à l’islam et aux musulmans (Jnim, affiliated with Al-Qaïda), inflicted an unprecedented blow to Mali’s ruling junta, which seized power in a 2020 coup, even claiming the life of the Defense Minister.
In Fassala, a Mauritanian locality situated near the Malian border, the actions of Russian paramilitaries have left a lasting and painful impression on many refugees. Here, they are still commonly referred to as “Wagner,” recalling the private Russian militia – now rebranded as Africa Corps – that supports the Malian military in its counter-jihadist efforts since the departure of French forces.
“Goïta brought Wagner here”
Under a makeshift tent, seeking refuge from the relentless heat of the Sahelian desert, Mosso* articulates his desire for “the fall of (Assimi) Goïta,” the head of the Malian junta, asserting, “because he is the one who brought Wagner to our land.” This 57-year-old nomadic Tuareg herder, with a long white beard, fled the Mopti region in central Mali just three weeks prior, after white-skinned men, whom he identifies as Russian paramilitaries, arrived at his encampment and abducted several men. A year ago, his own brother was tragically killed by Russians in front of his then 14-year-old son.
In Mali, numerous civilians, often accused of collaborating with opposing factions, frequently fall victim to reprisals and abuses by the army and its Russian auxiliaries, or by jihadist groups. On April 20, three civil society organizations, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), filed a complaint with the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (CADHP) regarding alleged violations committed in Mali involving the Malian armed forces and the Wagner group.
The circulation of images depicting a Russian convoy departing Kidal, a pivotal northern Malian city that fell under Tuareg rebel control in late April, has sparked a cautious glimmer of hope among many refugees that the paramilitaries might soon leave their country. Like Mosso*, approximately 300,000 Malians have sought sanctuary in Mauritania’s Hodh Chargui region since the conflict began in 2012.
The FLA and Jnim alliance: a complex issue
Roughly fifty kilometers from the border, the Mbera camp currently shelters 120,000 refugees who have escaped violence perpetrated by all sides: jihadists, the Malian army, Russian mercenaries, and community groups. Amidst the dusty pathways of the camp, Ahmed*, 35, expresses his longing for “the return of peace and to go back to my country.” He too hopes for the downfall of the military leadership, whom he blames for “bringing all the problems to the country.” This Tuareg man, who sought to escape the “amalgamation” made by the Malian army and their Russian partners, states, “It’s because of Wagner that everyone came here.”
With a kind gaze and a face weathered by the desert sun, Abdallah*, a 77-year-old Tuareg refugee, does not rejoice in the recent rebel offensive. “I am far from pleased that the FLA has retaken Kidal,” he murmurs. In his view, the alliance between the FLA and the jihadists is a grave error: “For me, Jnim is a terrorist movement. Their objectives are completely at odds with our ideology as moderate, pacifist Muslims.”
The blockades imposed by Jnim jihadists on Malian localities since last October have triggered a new wave of refugee arrivals in the region, numbering nearly 14,000 people, predominantly women and children, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Anticipating a new refugee influx
The recent hostilities in Mali have led humanitarian organizations to fear a fresh surge of refugees into this arid region, where access to vital resources is already strained. “We are monitoring the evolving situation with keen attention and profound concern,” emphasizes Omar Doukali, UNHCR spokesperson in Mauritania.
In a Sahel now recognized as a global epicenter of jihadist violence, Mauritania, a vast desert nation of 5.5 million inhabitants, stands out for its remarkable stability. However, the presence of over 300,000 Malian refugees creates pressures “on grazing lands, water resources, and all basic services, including health,” notes Cheikhna Ould Abdallahi, mayor of Fassala. His commune hosts 70,000 refugees, and he expresses deep worry over the escalating conflict in neighboring Mali.
The situation remains more uncertain than ever. The FLA has declared its intention to seize major cities in northern Mali and predicts the downfall of the ruling junta in the face of its offensive. Tilleli*, 22, holding her one-year-old daughter, recounts fleeing Mali a month ago after Russians and the army looted and burned her village in the Mopti region (center): “I can only return home after Wagner leaves my country,” she asserts. “I don’t have hope that peace will come anytime soon,” the young mother sighs.
