Tuaregs File ICC Complaint Against Mali, Burkina Armies and Russian Allies

Tuareg associations from Mali and Burkina Faso have lodged a formal complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing the national armies of both countries and Russian paramilitary group Africa Corps of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

According to RFI’s correspondent, the complaint was filed on Sunday with the ICC Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague. It targets the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA), the Burkinabe military, and Africa Corps—Russia’s latest proxy force in the Sahel that recently replaced the Wagner Group.

The four organisations behind the complaint—Imouhagh International, Kel Akal, the Diaspora of the United States, and the Azawad Solidarity Association—allege a wide range of abuses since 2022, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, and looting.

A particularly disturbing case cited in the complaint involves the April discovery of 60 tortured civilian bodies in Kwala, Mali. The groups claim such atrocities are linked to joint operations carried out by the national armies and Africa Corps operatives.

While the ICC had already launched investigations into past crimes in Mali—especially following the 2012 occupation of Timbuktu—progress has reportedly slowed due to the withdrawal of French and UN forces from the region in 2022 and 2024, respectively.

To initiate a full investigation in Burkina Faso, ICC judges must first authorize it unless the Burkinabe government voluntarily refers the case.

In a joint statement, the Tuareg organisations described their action as “a major political and legal statement” aimed at securing justice and recognition for victims of human rights abuses in the Sahel.