While interviewing Malian refugees about alleged abuses by Russia’s newly deployed Africa Corps military unit, West Africa correspondent Monika Pronczuk and freelancer Caitlin Kelly encountered a teenage girl lying on the ground in a tent, visibly ill and barely responsive. Her family said she had been raped by Africa Corps fighters — and hadn’t received medical care because they couldn’t afford it.
Pronczuk and Kelly immediately connected the family with a Doctors Without Borders clinic offering free treatment. The girl’s story became the emotional and narrative center of the second installment in AP’s investigation into Africa Corps, this time focusing on sexual violence in the conflict-ravaged region of Mali, where Russian forces and the Malian government continue to target al-Qaida-linked militants.
Their reporting revealed disturbing new details about how women and girls are suffering in silence in areas where few international observers are allowed. The team spoke with multiple survivors and documented accounts that painted a broader picture of abuse by all sides in the conflict — but with particular focus on the conduct of Russian-aligned troops now operating under direct Kremlin control.
The story was a powerful continuation of AP’s exclusive reporting on Africa Corps and offered a rare, deeply reported look at sexual violence in one of the world’s most inaccessible and dangerous regions.
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