Wagner Group Operated Secret Prison Network in Mali, Journalists Discover

Journalists have uncovered a network of secret prisons and torture sites in Mali operated by the Wagner private military company, according to a joint investigation by Forbidden Stories, France 24, Le Monde, and IStories media.

The existence of the sites was confirmed through interviews with former detainees now living in the Mbera refugee camp in Mauritania, which currently hosts about 118,000 Malians who fled violence between the ruling junta and Tuareg separatists.

The investigation identified six makeshift prisons nationwide, including in Nampala, Sevare, and Bafo. Some of the sites are located on official Malian military bases. Analysts monitoring the region say the actual number of such facilities is likely much higher.

“Wagner has prisons in nearly every area where they operate. Anyone arrested but not immediately killed ends up there — herders, traders, drivers,” a Sahel region analyst cited in the report stated.

Former prisoners described severe abuse, including beatings with electric cables or sticks, mock drownings, confinement in metal containers under extreme heat, and electric shocks. Accounts also included forced labor and starvation. One former detainee shared that prisoners were tortured to the sound of Russian music.

“They beat me until I lost consciousness and bled heavily. They also burned my stomach with a lighter,” one former prisoner told journalists.
Investigators discovered little evidence that Mali’s ruling junta is willing or able to rein in Wagner’s activities. “Wagner makes arrests independently. The Malian army has no authority,” a Malian officer shared with Le Monde on condition of anonymity.

Many abductions appear to be financially motivated, especially in Azawad and central Mali. Some detainees who survive are later transferred to Malian authorities.

One man noted that he was moved to the gendarmerie in Kidal within 48 hours of arrest and was released a week later after his family allegedly paid 1.5 million CFA francs (about €2,288).

According to Kal Akal, a human rights group tracking abuses in Mali, at least 668 civilians were arrested, abducted, or went missing between November 2023 and April 2025. Wagner-run prisons reportedly hold suspects accused of links to jihadist groups or separatists, as well as individuals swept up in mass detentions.

Wagner has operated in Mali since late 2021, after France withdrew its forces following a coup and the installation of a military-led government. Since then, Wagner personnel have repeatedly been accused by human rights organizations of committing abuses against civilians during joint operations with Malian forces.

In 2024, Wagner fighters were responsible for the deaths of 925 civilians in Mali, twice the number killed by Islamist groups, according to The Washington Post.

On June 6, 2025, Wagner announced the end of its mission in Mali, citing the completion of its primary objective: restoring government control over all regional capitals.