Human Rights Watch (HRW) has recently issued a strong condemnation of a lethal airstrike conducted by the Russian-linked Africa Corps in central Mali, asserting that the attack may have breached international humanitarian law. The airstrike on June 15 targeted Kyrnia village in Mali’s Mopti region, resulting in the death of eight civilians, which included three children. The region has been under the control of the Al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) for approximately six years. Although Africa Corps claimed the strike targeted a gathering of terrorist fighters, HRW reported that no evidence suggested the presence of JNIM fighters among the casualties.
HRW based its findings on accounts from eyewitnesses, Malian military sources, local journalists, and community leaders, alongside satellite imagery and other evidence, including a video released by Africa Corps. This analysis confirmed that the strike occurred in Kyrnia, with Africa Corps identified as the party responsible for the attack. The organization has urged Mali’s military government to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure accountability for the attack. More information can be found in the JURIST article.
International humanitarian law mandates that warring parties distinguish between civilians and combatants, targeting only military objectives while minimizing harm to civilians. HRW argues that the available evidence indicates these legal obligations were not upheld in the airstrike in question. On June 23, Africa Corps declared it had successfully struck a “gathering place of terrorist groups” in the region, claiming multiple JNIM commanders were killed, yet HRW has contested these assertions and found no evidence of militant fatalities.
This incident follows the burgeoning military cooperation between Russia and Mali, which intensified after Colonel Assimi Goïta’s ascent to power following military coups in 2020 and 2021. This collaboration has involved the expulsion of French and United Nations forces and a pivot towards Russian assistance, initially through the Wagner Group, which has transitioned into the Africa Corps subsequent to the death of Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023.
Moreover, Mali’s recent notification of its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) casts further doubt on the accountability mechanism for potential human rights abuses by state forces and allied foreign entities. These developments occur amid a broader backdrop of concerning trends in the Sahel region, exacerbating challenges to ensuring accountability for actions in regions plagued by insurgency since 2012 as discussed in this Reuters report.