Thread by @Techjournalisto

#WagnerGroup PMC is still active in #Mali.

Wagner's operation in UA may have distracted the reporting, but the story continues, with it the expansion, possible atrocities, the hunt for minerals and the looting... funding the war in Ukraine

An update: #OISNT thread

In mid-September 2022, 14 civilians of the Tuareg, a Berber ethnic minority, are allegedly killed by Wagner soldiers. Some 6km from a place called Nani, central Mali. Wagner was building a presence there, for months. Bodies are being shoved into a crater..

...the crater was created earlier when a soldier allegedly ran over it with his motorcycle, which then exploded. As a response, civilians were killed and stuffed in this crater...
The violent & disgraceful behavior by Wagner mirrors to details of the massacre analyzed by the UN

An hour by hour account of the #Moura massacre by Wagner was released by UN investigators. Over 5 days, hundreds of civilians were killed in the village (why the report is only in French, dont know): ohchr.org/en/press-relea…

On May 15th, the US Dept of State reacted to the UN report on the massacre by Wagner & Malian Armed Forces and called on the transition government to pursue further investigation "to hold those responsible accountable"...

The recommendation by the UN report to investigate: "...gang rape and other sexual violence, torture, and extrajudicial killings".

A number of #OSINT accounts, incl @Tatarigami_UA confirmed scorch marks in satellite images in April 2022 that were absent in data a month earlier

In addition, investigators spotted the mass burning of "motorcycles", which some jihadists are thought to get around with. Problem: the general public are using them too, causing further humanitarian turmoil.
MINUSMA soldiers not allowed to attack such jihadists on motorbikes.

Events the UN report also covers, took place near an alleged Wagner base, in a place called Sevare (14.52188,-4.07729), north of the airport Mopti. Left images of the Wagner camp in April (Planet) and right late last year - showing more housing etc.

... This exact Wagner camp gets then attacked in April, to also attack Russian planes, one rep said.
Toll: 10 killed civilians & 3 soldiers (with 61 civ. injured). Wagner's chief Prigozhin denies losses among Wagner people. Worth reading @Tatarigami_UA 🧵

https://twitter.com/Tatarigami_UA/status/1652174251133108225

Needless to say: Satellite intel & Wagner's statement, both point to a complete failure of an assessment of the situation. Neither was the presence of the group curbed, nor the killing and injuring of civilians avoided.
voaafrica.com/a/wagner-boss-…

Wagner's bases are said to be distributed all over the country: They loot to fund the war. A list of locations were analyzed and disclosed by @julesdhl with data from an analysis outfit - including one near Gao, where the German Federal Armed Forces (Camp Castor) fights MINUSMA

One location of an alleged Wagner base is recorded to be not far where Camp Castor 🇩🇪 is located...

Still particularly active is Wagner around the airport Mali (12.531425, -7.942540). Since the French military left, intel access became much tougher. However, easy to see: the violent PMC, responsible for war crimes, are feeling undisturbed in building a cozy little nest...

This camps started to take shape in late 2021. Since then, there are a dozen of militarized vehicles and a sophisticated training ground. In early 2023, another extension was built south of the camps...

In Feb, EU Council added members of the Wagner Group to the EU sanctions list: In total, 11 individuals plus 7 entities. Among them, the head of the Wagner Group in Mali... Why not more? Possible because few know who else is down there of the Russians. (Trust me, I tried)...

Another important factor is supplies. Someone needs to supply Wagner in Mali with weapons and equipment. At least the US Treasury thinks its companies like aviation firm Kratol Aviation, who operate out of the UAE. Last Nov I got a tipoff for this entity...

OSINT analysis suggested staff was all Russian. The website indicated a fleet of Russian planes. In January, the company landed on the US sanction list (what surprise)... 🙄
web.archive.org/web/2021061304…

In the end, we have to ask WHY is Wagner so aktive in Mali. A testimony in the US congress in Jan makes this clear: It is Wagner’s access to gold mines in Mali that “directly funds” the operation in Ukraine... foreignpolicy.com/2023/05/17/rus…

Conclusion: To stop Russia's unjust war, analysts and sanction experts should pay close attention to places like Mali, where Wagner, with almost undisturbed freedom, can garner minerals and kill civilians. The story is just developing...