Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Mali’s military and its Russian paramilitary allies have killed civilians in breach of international law. The rights group also says opposition armed groups have carried out similar abuses. In a report released on Monday, the United States-based watchdog accused soldiers and fighters on all sides of committing grave violations of the laws of war, while international bodies and governments have largely failed to respond.
HRW urged the African Union’s Peace and Security Council to act urgently to prevent further atrocities in the West African country.
Mali’s conflict and Russian support for the army
Mali has been caught up in fighting and attacks since 2012. The military and its allies have battled a range of armed groups, including Tuareg separatists and criminal gangs.
The military government that has held power since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021 has relied on Russia for support. It first brought in fighters from the private Wagner Group, which became the state-controlled paramilitary Africa Corps in 2025.
Drone strikes and killings documented by the rights group
The report is based on interviews with 30 people, including witnesses, human rights defenders, community leaders, journalists and a Malian soldier. The interviews were conducted between late July and mid-September.
HRW said the military and the Russia-controlled Africa Corps had “killed and wounded scores of civilians in attacks and in custody in violation of international humanitarian law.” Armed groups, it added, had also violated the laws of war, including by torturing and executing captured Malian soldiers.
The group documented two drone attacks by the Malian military that it described as “apparently indiscriminate.” A July 29 strike in the Kidal region of northeastern Mali destroyed part of a health facility. A second attack, on August 19, hit a market in the central region of Bandiagara, killing six civilians and wounding at least 20.
HRW also documented an operation in the southern Segou region, where Malian soldiers shot and killed five girls. In the central Mopti region, members of the military-allied Dozo militia killed three civilians, which HRW said was carried out “all with impunity.”
The group cited a July 18 attack on a military convoy in the Gao region by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and allied separatist fighters from the Azawad Liberation Front. According to HRW, the two groups tortured and executed at least 19 Malian troops they had taken prisoner. JNIM acknowledged that prisoners were killed in the incident but denied ordering the deaths. The Azawad Liberation Front acknowledged fighting the army and Russian forces in the northeastern region that day but denied executing soldiers.
Conflict data and an unanswered letter to Mali’s government
The report also drew on research by Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a nongovernmental group that collects conflict data from around the world. According to HRW, the data show 49 air strikes by Malian forces and the Africa Corps between April and August that killed 89 civilians. The rights group said this was “more than double the 22 strikes and 44 civilian deaths reported during the same period last year.”
HRW said it sent a letter with its findings and questions to Mali’s defence minister on August 5. The group said it had received no response.
