Dispatch:
Kal Akal was able to establish direct contact on Sunday, September 8, 2024, with a Sudanese woman whose husband was abducted by Wagner-FAMa forces in Tessalit. She calls for help from local human rights organizations and anyone of goodwill to provide information about her husband’s whereabouts. Below is an audio transcript of her message/testimony, translated from Arabic to French by the Kal Akal team:
« My name is Hanaa Atijani Almoubarack, residing in the northern part of Sudan, in the city of Damer. My last communication with my husband was on January 17, 2024, at 8:00 PM Sudanese time.
My husband, Babiker Moussa Alhassane Ahmed, has been working in Mali since 2023 in the Tessalit area at the Abanko gold mine. In January 2024, he was arrested by the Malian army and Wagner mercenaries during a raid on the mining site. Several miners were arrested; some were released after investigations. However, my husband and one of his relatives were taken to a camp in the commune of Tessalit.
To this day, I have had no news of him. I have contacted the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Red Cross, and several other organizations. I also made appeals on various platforms (WhatsApp, Facebook…) and spoke to some brothers in Mali and southern Algeria. Most of them told me that Wagner’s detainees are often executed. Only God knows. »
Kal Akal expresses concern for the fate of Mr. Babiker Moussa Alhassane Ahmed and reminds that his case is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to daily human rights violations reported against Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group and members of the Malian junta’s army.
Several cases of abductions, torture, and extrajudicial executions targeting both locals and African migrant workers are unfortunately occurring in the absolute silence of human rights organizations.
As a local human rights organization, Kal Akal sends an urgent plea to any person or organization who may have information related to this case or others to communicate it, in order to take legal action.
Kal Akal reminds the Bamako junta that full responsibility for these abuses lies with them, and as such, they must ensure, by all means and in all circumstances, strict respect for human rights.
