Lebanese bar owner killed by Russian mercenary in Mali

Tuareg Malian soldiers under the command of Colonel El-Hadj Ag Gamou patrol the streets of Gao, northern Mali, Saturday Feb. 16 2013. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

A Lebanese bar owner in Bamako was shot dead last week by a Russian mercenary from the Africa Corps group, AFP learned Monday from local and security sources, as well as a hospital.

The Russian had spent time last Wednesday to Thursday night in the bar in the capital’s Badalabougou district alongside other mercenaries, before firing three shots at point-blank range at the owner.

The exact circumstances were not immediately clear, with a member of the civil protection service telling AFP it occurred after the Russian was told to leave.

“When our teams arrived on the scene, the wounded man had already lost a lot of blood,” the civil protection service member said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.

The victim was taken to hospital where he died on Thursday.

“He ultimately died despite attempts to remove the bullets from his skull,” a hospital source told AFP.

The allied Malian army and Africa Corps mercenaries are regularly accused of committing atrocities against civilians.

A leader of the Lebanese community in Mali told AFP that “not a week goes by without atrocities” committed by the mercenaries, alleging that Malian authorities were trying to cover up the affair.

After Mali turned its back on its former colonial ruler France, it drew closer to Russia and its Wagner security group, which later was replaced by Africa Corps, in its fight against jihadists.