Wagners Atrocities in Africa: ICC Faces Calls for Investigation Following Damning Report

A confidential legal document alleging that the Wagner mercenary group has committed war crimes by disseminating footage of apparent atrocities in Africa has been presented to the International Criminal Court (ICC), as reported by the Associated Press on Monday.

The document outlines allegations of torture, mutilation, extrajudicial killings, and cannibalism supposedly carried out by the group, urging the ICC to investigate individuals associated with Wagner, along with the governments of Mali and Russia.

According to Lindsay Freeman, director of the Human Rights Center at the University of California, Berkeley, “Wagner has skillfully utilized information and communication technologies to build and showcase its reputation as mercenaries without mercy. Their Telegram channel, which showcases their actions throughout the Sahel, serves as a chilling public exhibition of their savagery,” as quoted by the AP.

The report to the ICC asserts that the distribution of materials showing these atrocities is itself a war crime, in addition to the criminal acts depicted.

“The true impact of these narratives lies in the intrigue and power they convey,” said Daniel Hoffman, an international relations professor at the University of Washington, as reported by the AP. “Whether it involves Wagner, local fighters, or political figures, associations with cannibalism, ritual killings, or mutilations signal the presence of extreme authority.”

Earlier this month, Wagner announced that it had finished its mission in Mali and would be withdrawing from the nation.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry’s Africa Corps, which has taken over the mercenaries’ operations, remains active in Mali.

U.S. officials report that around 2,000 Russian fighters are currently in Mali, aiding local armed forces in their fight against insurgents and terrorist groups.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission left Mali in December 2023 at the request of the local government.