The claim was made by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a separatist Tuareg rebel alliance fighting against the Malian government in the region.

The FLA accused Malian forces and Wagner mercenaries of intercepting two passenger vehicles traveling from Gao to Algeria and killing those on board, including women and children.

Army chief Gen. Oumar Diarra dismissed the allegations as “unfounded,” calling them part of a disinformation campaign “relayed by terrorist networks, allies, and sponsors.”

For years, Mali has battled both Tuareg separatists seeking an independent state in the north and jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

After military coups in 2020 and 2021, the ruling junta hired Russian Wagner mercenaries to bolster security.

However, both Malian forces and Wagner fighters have frequently been accused by rights groups of committing atrocities against civilians, which they deny.

Last month, Mali, along with Burkina Faso and Niger—also under military rule—quit the West African regional bloc ECOWAS after rejecting demands to restore civilian governance.

The departure dealt a significant blow to the 50-year-old alliance.

Mali’s military rulers have also severed ties with former colonial power France, whose troops left in 2022 after a decade-long counterinsurgency campaign.

The following year, the junta expelled all 12,000 UN peacekeepers from the country.

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