Mali: 89 civilians killed in 49 airstrikes in five months, HRW calls on the African Union to act

Human Rights Watch (HRW) accuses the Malian army and its Russian allies from the Africa Corps of killing civilians in violation of the laws of war, in a report published on October 19, 2026. The organization also implicates armed opposition groups and calls on the African Union's Peace and Security Council to take action to prevent further atrocities in the center and north of the country.

The most telling figures come from the NGO Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), cited by HRW: between April and August 2026, 49 airstrikes by Malian forces and the Africa Corps killed 89 civilians, compared to 22 strikes and 44 deaths during the same period in 2025. Over these five months, ACLED attributes 268 civilian deaths to the Malian armed forces and 134 to the JNIM, a group affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

A health center, a livestock market, a rice field

HRW documents several specific cases. On July 29, 2026, in Talahandak, in the Kidal region, an attack drone partially destroyed a health center; witnesses state that no combatants were present. On August 19, in Tombonkore, in the Bandiagara region, a drone strike on a livestock market killed six men and injured at least twenty people, several of whom required amputations. The aircraft reportedly circled the village for about thirty minutes before striking.

On July 12, in Niono, in the Ségou region, soldiers killed five girls aged 10 to 13 who were working in a rice field, mistaking them for attackers. On July 27 and 28, in Djenné, in the Mopti region, Dozo militiamen allied with the army killed three Fulani men, who witnesses say were targeted because of their ethnicity. HRW speaks of dozens of civilians killed or wounded during attacks and in detention, "with complete impunity."

Insurgents also implicated

The report does not spare armed groups. On July 18, 2026, in Tabrichat, in the Gao region, the JNIM and the Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA) attacked a Malian and Russian military convoy. At least 19 soldiers taken prisoner were beaten and then executed, according to videos analyzed by HRW and Amnesty International; a survivor mentions more than fifty soldiers reported missing. The JNIM's Sharia committee acknowledged the executions in its response on September 30, while claiming it had not ordered them and saw no reason to sanction the perpetrators. The FLA spokesperson, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, acknowledged the fighting on September 20 but denied any executions.

The report is based on thirty interviews conducted between July 30 and September 20, 2026, including sixteen with witnesses, on two verified and geolocated videos, and on the analysis of photos of drone debris. The Africa Corps, which succeeded the Wagner Group in 2025 under Russian state control, is described as being involved in strikes and reprisals against communities accused of collaborating with insurgents; Russia provides it with drones and combat aircraft.

What HRW expects from the AU

The organization is asking the AU Peace and Security Council to convene a session dedicated to the protection of civilians, to adopt a communiqué condemning abuses by all parties, and to demand independent investigations with the support of African human rights experts. This is a sign that accountability can be addressed within the continent's institutions rather than elsewhere.

On the Malian side, the Ministry of Defense did not respond to HRW's letter dated August 5, according to the organization. The general staff presented the August 19 strike as a success against a "terrorist hideout," with about twenty combatants "neutralized," which HRW says it cannot corroborate. The specialized anti-terrorism prosecutor's office reportedly opened an investigation into the Tabrichat executions on August 1, according to media cited in the report. In Niono, officers apologized to the families, but HRW is aware of no investigation opened or compensation offered. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had condemned the Tabrichat executions on July 23.