A July report documented abuses by members of the Malian army and associated foreign fighters apparently from the Russia-linked Wagner Group, including summary executions and enforced disappearances during counterinsurgency operations in central Mali.
The cessation of the panel’s activities could harm efforts toward accountability for conflict-related abuses in a country already marked by shrinking civic space and an increased crackdown on dissent and independent media.
In February, the Malian authorities ordered the head of the human rights section of the UN peacekeeping mission to Mali, the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), to leave the country, accusing him of “subversive actions.” In June, Mali’s foreign minister told the Security Council to withdraw MINUSMA altogether and rejected a UN report accusing Malian troops and Wagner fighters of killing over 500 people during a March 2022 military operation. The mission is set to leave Mali by December 31.
Russia had also previously blocked the Security Council from supporting an Economic Community of West African States decision to impose sanctions on Mali, after Malian military authorities announced they would delay elections until 2026.
As the panel’s work ends and MINUSMA prepares to leave, it is crucial for Malian authorities to continue working with human rights institutions, including the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the UN Human Rights Office, and the UN independent expert on human rights in Mali. In its October session, the African Commission should publicly express concerns on serious violations in Mali and work with Mali’s National Human Rights Commission to gather evidence of serious rights abuses and provide recommendations to ensure rights are protected and abusers are held to account.