Recently, disturbing videos of soldiers allegedly engaging in cannibalistic acts in Mali and Burkina Faso have been circulating on social media and reported by the French press.
A video from July 16 showed Malian soldiers involved in these practices, and a follow-up video from July 19 depicted them cooking organs and preserving a finger as a souvenir. The soldiers, identifiable by their uniforms as members of the Parachute Commandos Regiment (RCP), were reportedly stationed in Sokolo, Mali, in June 2022.
In Burkina Faso, recent videos also show soldiers mutilating bodies in search of organs. These soldiers, identified as part of the BIR 15 Cobra 2, are seen referring to the body as "meat" and taking pride in their actions. There are also videos of armed civilians, likely Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), posing with a severed head and a leg, claiming it belonged to a jihadist.
The Malian military has condemned these actions, calling them "atrocities" and promising to investigate. No official response has yet been issued from Burkina Faso.