In Mali, Human Rights Watch has released a new report detailing atrocities committed against civilians by the U.S.-backed Malian army and Wagner Group mercenaries. The report describes extrajudicial executions, forced disappearances, rapes and looting that have taken place since December 2022. Mali has suffered ongoing insecurity and deadly attacks by armed groups, which foreign powers have failed to stem. Two back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021 have further destabilized the country. Earlier this year, Mali expelled thousands of French troops and U.N. peacekeepers.