Human Rights Watch has accused Mali’s regular army and its Russian paramilitary allies of killing civilians, while also charging insurgent forces in the country with “abuses” and violations of the laws of war, according to a report published on Monday, October 19.
Mali has been gripped since 2012 by a deep security crisis fueled by violence from jihadist groups, community-based criminal gangs and Tuareg separatist movements.
Junta Turned to Russia for Counter-Insurgency Support
The junta that has ruled Mali since two coups d’État in 2020 and 2021 turned to Russia for support in its counter-jihadist fight, notably calling on the services of paramilitaries from the Wagner group, which became Africa Corps in 2025.
For several years, abuses committed against civilians by the army and its Russian paramilitary allies — formerly Wagner and now Africa Corps — have been widely documented.
Dozens of Civilians Killed and Wounded
Mali’s army and its Russian allies “killed and wounded dozens of civilians during attacks and in detention” in central and northern Mali, HRW said.
In its statement, the NGO said it had documented “two apparently indiscriminate strikes by Malian military drones.”
- The first, carried out on July 29 in the village of Talhandak in the Kidal region of the north, “partially destroyed a health facility.”
- The second, on August 19 at a market in Tombonkore in the Bandiagara region of central Mali, killed “six people and wounded at least 20” among civilians.
HRW added that Malian soldiers “shot dead five girls” on July 12 during an operation in the Ségou region of central Mali. Dozo militiamen allied with the army reportedly “killed three civilians” on July 27 and 28 in the Mopti region, also in the center.
Insurgents Accused of Torturing and Executing Captured Soldiers
The human rights organization also accused Islamist and Tuareg separatist fighters of having “violated the laws of war by torturing and executing captured Malian soldiers.”
