Danguèrè Wotoro massacre

Little is known about how the massacre actually played out, because the bodies of civilians were only discovered in the town the following morning.^[5] The bodies were discovered piled on top of each other, all bound and tied.^[5] All of the victims were men, many of whom had been arrested the previous week, and some were shot while others were burned.^[5] The victims were all also Fulani, a nomadic group who the Malian army often attributes to jihadist attacks.^[4]

Survivors of Malian-Wagner detainment prior to the massacre stated that they were being held in the Diabaly military camp, and were beaten severely.^[5] One survivor said he saw the soldiers remove around 30 men from one cell the night before the massacre.^[5]

The Malian government denied any involvement in the massacre, and claimed that mentions of it were "defaming" the government.^[6] On March 17, the government banned Radio France Internationale and France 24 for claiming the massacre was perpetrated by the Malian army and Wagner group.^[7]

Al-Qaeda-linked Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin claimed responsibility for an attack in Mondoro, stating it was in retribution for the massacre at Danguèrè Wotoro.^[8]

Human Rights Watch, MINUSMA, and the locals all accused the Malian Army and Wagner for the attack, with HRW giving a death toll of 35 and RFI claiming 35 to 37 people were killed.^[4][5]