The Wagner Group is being accused of spreading images of cannibalism and brutal murder on social media as part of a systematic terror campaign, which experts now claim constitutes a war crime requiring urgent International Criminal Court intervention.
Key Takeaways
- The International Criminal Court is reviewing evidence that Russia’s Wagner Group has committed war crimes in West Africa by distributing images of atrocities, including alleged cannibalism, on social media platforms
- Since Wagner arrived in Mali in December 2021, violence against civilians has escalated dramatically, with over 300 civilians massacred in Moura in March 2022
- Legal experts from UC Berkeley argue that the online distribution of violent imagery itself constitutes a war crime and crime against humanity by psychologically terrorizing civilian populations
- Wagner has expanded Russian influence throughout the Sahel region, now the world’s deadliest zone for extremism, while simultaneously staging false evidence to blame Western nations
- With the withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces from Mali, social media has become a primary source of information, while the governments in the region actively suppress independent reporting
Shocking Atrocities Documented in West Africa
The Russian paramilitary Wagner Group faces serious accusations of committing heinous atrocities across West Africa’s Sahel region, where they’ve established a growing presence since December 2021. A confidential legal report submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) documents Wagner mercenaries distributing videos showing men in military uniforms butchering corpses and alluding to cannibalism. These disturbing materials appear on various social media platforms, seemingly as part of a deliberate terror campaign. The evidence suggests a systematic effort to spread fear through the digital dissemination of these atrocities, with Wagner-affiliated social media channels reposting content showing abuses often accompanied by dehumanizing language.
The Wagner Group, a Russian private military company with direct links to the Kremlin, has been deployed to Mali since December 2021, ostensibly to train local forces and provide security services. However, their presence has coincided with a dramatic increase in civilian casualties. The most notorious incident occurred in March 2022, when over 300 civilians were massacred in Moura. Local testimonies reveal the depth of fear Wagner has instilled in communities. “We live in fear. We fear Wagner much more than the terrorists. The terrorists have never come to destroy a market,” explained a resident of Gossi, Mali.
The International Criminal Court has been asked to review evidence that the Russia-linked Wagner Group has committed war crimes by spreading images of apparent atrocities in West Africa on social media, including ones alluding to cannibalism. https://t.co/ZhZztuLouM
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) June 22, 2025
Legal Experts Call for Criminal Prosecution
In a groundbreaking legal argument, experts from UC Berkeley have submitted a brief to the ICC contending that the online distribution of atrocity images itself constitutes a war crime. They’re urging the court to investigate Wagner and the governments of Mali and Russia for alleged abuses committed between December 2021 and July 2024. The brief specifically argues that sharing such content violates international law by psychologically terrorizing civilian populations. While the ICC acknowledges awareness of human rights violations in Mali, they have not yet commented specifically on the brief’s arguments regarding social media distribution of violent content.
“Wagner has deftly leveraged information and communications technologies to cultivate and promote its global brand as ruthless mercenaries. Their Telegram network in particular, which depicts their conduct across the Sahel, serves as a proud public display of their brutality,” stated Lindsay Freeman, a legal expert involved in preparing the brief.
Freeman further explained the legal basis for prosecution: “The online distribution of these images could constitute the war crime of outrages on personal dignity and the crime against humanity of other inhumane acts for psychologically terrorizing the civilian population.”
Russia’s Strategic Expansion in the Sahel
The Wagner Group’s activities in West Africa represent part of a broader Russian strategy to expand influence throughout the African continent. As military governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have severed ties with Western allies, they’ve increasingly turned to Russia for support against extremist groups. Wagner has capitalized on this shift, providing security services in exchange for financial gains and advancing Russian geopolitical goals. More troublingly, evidence suggests Wagner has deliberately staged false evidence of French atrocities to further undermine Western influence in the region while covering up their crimes.
The Sahel has become the deadliest region for extremism globally, with half of the world’s terrorism victims killed there last year. The withdrawal of UN peacekeeping missions from Mali has created an information vacuum, leaving social media as one of the primary sources of information about conditions on the ground. Human Rights Watch has documented numerous atrocities committed by Wagner and other groups but notes minimal accountability and a suppression of information by the governments involved. The combination of Wagner’s brutality, sophisticated information warfare, and the lack of independent monitoring creates a perfect storm for continued human rights abuses with little oversight.
When questioned about the violent content on their platform, Telegram responded: “Content that encourages violence is explicitly forbidden by Telegram’s terms of service and is removed whenever discovered. Moderators empowered with custom AI and machine learning tools proactively monitor public parts of the platform and accept reports to remove millions of pieces of harmful content each day.”
