HRW: Malian Army, Rebels Abusing Civilians

Mali’s military and its Russian allies have killed civilians in violations of international law, while terrorists and separatist fighters have also committed serious abuses, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday.

In a new report, the rights organisation accused the warring parties of violating international humanitarian law and criticised the lack of action by governments and international bodies.

“The Malian military, armed groups and insurgent forces are committing grave laws-of-war violations while international organisations and governments largely stand by,” the rights watchdog said. 

 It called on the African Union’s Peace and Security Council to intervene urgently to prevent further atrocities.

Mali has faced a prolonged security crisis since 2012, with the military fighting terrorist groups, Tuareg separatists and criminal networks.

The military government, which took power following coups in 2020 and 2021, has relied on Russian support. It previously enlisted fighters from the Wagner Group, whose operations in Africa were reorganised under the Russia-controlled Africa Corps in 2025.

HRW said Malian troops and Africa Corps personnel had killed and injured dozens of civilians during attacks and while people were in custody. The organisation also accused Islamist and separatist fighters of violating the laws of war, including torturing and executing captured soldiers.

“Mali’s military and the allied Russia-controlled Africa Corps… have killed and wounded scores of civilians in attacks and in custody in violation of international humanitarian law,” HRW said.

“Islamist and separatist fighters have also violated the laws-of-war, including torturing and executing captured Malian soldiers,” it continued.

The report draws on interviews conducted between July 30 and September 20 with 30 people in central and northern Mali, including journalists, community leaders, human rights activists and a Malian soldier.

HRW documented two drone strikes by the Malian military that it described as apparently indiscriminate. One partially destroyed a health centre in Talhandak village, in the northern Kidal region, in July.

A second strike hit a market in Tombonkore, central Mali, in August, killing six civilians and injuring at least 20 others, according to the organisation.

The report also accused Malian soldiers of shooting dead five girls during a counter-insurgency operation in the central Segou region in mid-July. Later that month, members of allied Dozo militia groups allegedly killed three civilians in the Mopti region.

HRW said the reported killings had occurred without accountability. It added that a letter sent to Mali’s defence minister on August 5, outlining its findings and requesting answers, had received no response.

“Human Rights Watch sent a letter to Mali’s defence minister on August 5 with findings and questions but received no response,” it added.

The report also documented alleged crimes by fighters from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda-linked group, and the mainly Tuareg Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).

According to HRW, the two groups attacked a military convoy in Tabrichat, in the northeastern Gao region, in July before torturing and executing at least 19 captured Malian soldiers.

JNIM acknowledged that prisoners had been killed following the attack but denied ordering their deaths, HRW said.

The FLA confirmed that its fighters had clashed with Malian troops and Russian personnel in Tabrichat but rejected accusations that it had executed captured soldiers.

HRW urged regional leaders and international partners to take action against abuses by all parties, warning that continued inaction risked allowing further violations against civilians and captured combatants.