Landmark Case Filed Before African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights Over Alleged Violations in Mali Involving Armed Forces and Wagner Group

[20 April, 2026] – Three civil society organisations have initiated a procedure before the Court in a move that underscores the growing importance of African regional mechanisms in addressing human rights violations involving transnational armed actors. The filing is the first known case against a state for hosting and contracting private military and security actors (PMSAs).

TRIAL International, the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) have filed a case before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACtHPR) concerning serious human rights violations allegedly committed against civilians in Mali in 2022 by the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) and the Wagner Group (now reportedly operating in the region as “Africa Corps”).

The application seeks to establish Mali’s responsibility both for abuses allegedly committed on its territory and for its failure to prevent violations, protect civilians, and investigate, prosecute and sanction those responsible, as well as provide remedy to victims. Supported by documentation from the Berkeley Human Rights Center and INPACT – All Eyes on Wagner, the filing comes the day after  the anniversary of the Hombori massacre and less than a month after the anniversary of the Moura massacre, both in central Mali. More than 500 civilians were killed in those operations allegedly conducted by FAMa and the Wagner Group, while others were tortured, arbitrarily detained, raped, and forcibly disappeared.

By bringing the case before the ACtHPR, TRIAL International, PALU, and FIDH are seeking accountability through Africa’s highest human rights court. The case marks the first known attempt to hold a State accountable before the ACtHPR for hosting and contracting PMSAs. Additionally, it is also the first time the Court has been called upon to examine allegations involving both a State’s armed forces and PMSAs, potentially setting an important precedent in regional and international human rights jurisprudence.

The filing points to a broader reality: Mali’s support for PMSAs is not only a domestic issue. Actors like the Wagner Group operate through transnational networks, with fluid structures, cross-border movement and opaque supply chains. Hosting them and providing them with support contributed to, and is likely to further facilitate, their operations across the region and beyond, resulting in increasing serious violations.

“At a time when violence is increasingly driven by actors operating across borders, African accountability mechanisms have a crucial role to play,” the three organisations stated. “This case is about ensuring that the rights protected under the African Charter remain meaningful in the face of evolving forms of abuse.”

The filing asks the Court to affirm that States remain bound by their human rights obligations, including when abuses are committed in connection with foreign or transnational actors operating on their territory.

Serious violations against civilians in Mali persist and remain largely unpunished, amid a near standstill in domestic judicial responses. The ACtHPR may represent one of the few remaining avenues for accountability, especially following Mali’s recent withdrawal from ECOWAS.

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For further enquiry, please contact:

For TRIAL International: media@trialinternational.org

For PALU: secretariat@lawyersofafrica.org

For FIDH: presse@fidh.org

TRIAL International is a non-governmental organisation fighting impunity for international crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture, enforced disappearances, and conflict-related sexual violence. Founded in 2002, TRIAL International has offices in Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It also works on cases in several other countries, often in collaboration with in-country partners.

The Pan-African Lawyers Union (PALU) is the premier continental membership forum of and for individual African lawyers and lawyers’ associations in Africa. It is a platform for collaboration and advocacy dedicated to promoting law, justice and human rights on the continent.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) is an international non-governmental organisation composed of nearly 200 member organisations across the world. FIDH aims to defend all human rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to fight against impunity for international crimes and restore victims’ rights. In close collaboration with its member organisations, FIDH documents and reports serious human rights violations and international crimes, advocates for change before relevant decision makers, and litigates in support of victims and survivors of these crimes, at national, regional and international levels.