HRW Accuses Mali Military, Russian Allies and Armed Groups of Killing Civilians

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Mali’s military, its Russian paramilitary allies and armed opposition groups of committing serious violations of international humanitarian law, including the killing of civilians, torture and the execution of captured soldiers.

The United States-based human rights organisation made the allegations in a report released on Monday, October 19, 2026, urging the African Union’s Peace and Security Council to take urgent action to prevent further atrocities in the West African country.

According to HRW, Malian soldiers and members of the Russian-controlled Africa Corps have killed and wounded scores of civilians during military operations and in custody, while armed opposition groups have also committed abuses against captured government troops.

The report was based on interviews with 30 people, including witnesses, human rights defenders, community leaders, journalists and a Malian soldier, conducted between late July and mid-September.

Mali has experienced prolonged insecurity since 2012, with government forces battling various armed groups, including Tuareg separatists, Islamist fighters and criminal gangs.

The military government, which came to power following successive coups in 2020 and 2021, has relied on Russian support in its campaign against the armed groups.

Russian involvement initially included fighters from the private Wagner Group, which became the state-controlled Africa Corps in 2025.

HRW said it documented two drone attacks by Malian military forces that appeared to have been carried out without adequate discrimination between military targets and civilians.

The first incident occurred on July 29 in the Kidal region of northeastern Mali, where a drone attack destroyed part of a health facility.

The second attack, which took place on August 19 at a market in Bandiagara, central Mali, reportedly killed six civilians and injured at least 20 others.

The organisation also documented alleged killings during military operations in other parts of the country.

In the southern region of Segou, Malian soldiers reportedly shot and killed five girls during an operation targeting armed groups. In the central region of Mopti, members of the Dozo militia, which is allied with the military, allegedly killed three civilians.

HRW said the reported killings had occurred without accountability.

The report further accused armed opposition groups of torturing and executing captured Malian soldiers following an attack on a military convoy in the Gao region on July 18.

According to the organisation, fighters from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the separatist Azawad Liberation Front allegedly tortured and executed at least 19 soldiers taken prisoner during the attack.

HRW said JNIM acknowledged that prisoners were killed during the incident but denied ordering their deaths.

The Azawad Liberation Front also acknowledged fighting government forces and Russian troops in the northeastern region on the same day but denied executing captured soldiers.

The organisation cited additional research by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project, which monitors political violence and armed conflicts worldwide.

According to the data, Malian forces and the Africa Corps carried out 49 air strikes between April and August 2026, resulting in the deaths of 89 civilians.

The figures represented an increase from the same period in 2025, when 22 air strikes reportedly killed 44 civilians.

HRW said it sent a letter to Mali’s defence minister on August 5, presenting its findings and seeking responses to questions about the alleged abuses, but had received no response.

The organisation called on the African Union’s Peace and Security Council to take urgent measures to prevent further civilian casualties and ensure accountability for violations committed by all parties to the conflict.

It also stressed the need for government forces and armed groups to comply with international humanitarian law, which requires parties to armed conflicts to protect civilians and treat captured combatants humanely.

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