Mali Junta and Russian Allies Face Civilian-Abuse Claims

Human Rights Watch said the Malian military and its Russian paramilitary allies killed and wounded scores of civilians in attacks and in custody. An attack by jihadist and separatist forces also left at least 19 Malian soldiers tortured and executed, according to a report published Monday. The allegations place the conduct of Mali’s military and its foreign-backed security forces under scrutiny as the junta continues its campaign against armed groups.

The Report’s Findings

HRW said the alleged killings and injuries violated international humanitarian law. Its report documented two drone attacks by the Malian military that it described as “apparently indiscriminate.” A strike in July partially destroyed a health centre in Talhandak village, in the northern Kidal region. In August, another drone hit a market in Tombonkore, a central village, killing six civilians and injuring at least 20 others, the group said.

The report drew on interviews conducted between July 30 and September 20 with 30 people in central and northern Mali. Those interviewed included human rights activists, community leaders, journalists and a Malian soldier. HRW also said Malian soldiers “shot and killed five girls” during a counter-insurgency operation in the central Segou region in mid-July.

Dozo militia allies of the soldiers killed three civilians later that month in the central Mopti region, HRW said. The report said the deaths occurred “all with impunity.”

Foreign Support and Armed Groups

The junta has ruled Mali since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, and turned to Russia for support, enlisting paramilitaries from the Wagner Group. That group became the Africa Corps in 2025. HRW’s report accused the Malian military and its Russian allies of abuses against civilians, including killings and injuries in attacks and in custody.

Mali has faced a security crisis since 2012, with the army and its Russian allies opposing jihadist fighters, Tuareg separatist groups and criminal gangs. The report also documented abuses by JNIM, the al-Qaeda-linked group also known as the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, and by the mainly Tuareg Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA.

On July 18, JNIM and the FLA attacked a military convoy in Tabrichat, in the northeastern Gao region. HRW said the groups then “tortured and executed at least 19 Malian soldiers taken prisoner.” JNIM admitted that prisoners were killed but denied ordering the deaths. The FLA acknowledged clashes with the army and Russians in Tabrichat, but denied executing soldiers.

Calls for Action

HRW said the Malian military, armed groups and insurgent forces were “committing grave laws-of-war violations while international organisations and governments largely stand by.” It urged the African Union’s Peace and Security Council to “urgently take action to prevent further atrocities” in Mali. The appeal calls on a regional institution to act while the report describes violations by state forces, their allies and insurgent groups.

A late-September report by Amnesty International also said Mali’s armed forces and Wagner Group personnel had committed war crimes, including killings and torture of civilians. Amnesty said those abuses took place during joint operations across the country between 2023 and 2025. The two reports identify allegations involving both Malian forces and Russian paramilitaries, while HRW’s account also records attacks and executions attributed to JNIM and the FLA.