Mali: africa corps airstrikes claim civilian lives in central Mopti region

On June 15, 2026, air assaults attributed to the Africa Corps, an entity under the direct control of the Russian government, resulted in the deaths of eight civilians, including three children, in central Mali. These strikes, targeting the village of Kyrnia in the Mopti region, appear to constitute an unlawful attack.

That morning, a Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft, identified by two Malian military sources, deployed at least two munitions over Kyrnia. The initial explosion struck near the village chief’s residence, claiming the lives of two of his children, his wife, and another child, while injuring a woman. A second munition detonated approximately twenty meters away, hitting a small cattle market. This blast killed four men and wounded two others. Notably, no fighters from Islamist armed groups were among the reported casualties.

“An Africa Corps aircraft, operating under Russian government command, caused civilian fatalities in a Malian village, demonstrating a flagrant disregard for the laws of war,” stated Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior Sahel researcher. “By offering carte blanche to Russian authorities, the Malian government must acknowledge its own accountability for the atrocities perpetrated by its allied forces.”

My team conducted 19 telephone interviews between June 24 and July 14, engaging with six eyewitnesses, civil society representatives, community leaders, Malian military sources, and local journalists. We also meticulously analyzed satellite imagery of the strike locations, a video of the strikes released online by Africa Corps, and photographs circulated on social media by an Islamist armed group. On July 23, I dispatched a letter to the Russian Minister of Defense, outlining our findings and posing specific questions, but no response has been received.

On June 23, Africa Corps declared on its Facebook and X accounts that it had successfully executed an air strike on June 15 against a “terrorist gathering point” in the Mopti region, claiming to have eliminated several field commanders. The post included a video of the strikes and their aftermath. Our analysis successfully geolocated the two strikes visible in the video to Kyrnia.

The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM or Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, JNIM), an Al-Qaeda-affiliated organization, has maintained control over Kyrnia for the past six years. Witnesses confirmed the presence of at least 100 GSIM combatants, including a high-ranking commander, within the village at the time of the strikes. However, these fighters were primarily gathered at the village mosque and near a shop adjacent to a small cattle market. Neither the mosque nor the shop suffered direct hits, though one munition impacted the cattle market. The village chief, a wealthy merchant, owns the shop, which GSIM sometimes utilizes for storing weapons, ammunition, fuel, and other supplies. A pick-up truck, consistent with vehicles typically used by GSIM, was parked in front of the chief’s house.

Since 2012, successive Malian governments have been engaged in conflict with Islamist armed groups. Following military coups in 2020 and 2021, junta leader General Assimi Goïta expelled French and UN forces, subsequently strengthening ties with Russia. Since 2021, the junta has relied on assistance from the Russian-linked Wagner Group for security operations. This mercenary organization was rebranded as Africa Corps after the death of Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023, coming under direct control from Moscow.

In June, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly acknowledged that Russian military personnel were collaborating with the Malian armed forces to establish full control over Malian territory, particularly after GSIM attacks across the country on April 25. The Russian Ministry of Defense also stated that its forces were employing Su-24 aircraft to target GSIM fighters.

Media reports and satellite imagery suggest that Africa Corps has been deploying Su-24 aircraft in Mali since at least April 2025 to support the Malian army. There are no public records indicating the transfer of Su-24s to Malian authorities. These aircraft are capable of carrying a diverse range of aerial munitions, including guided weapons, which align with the type of damage observed from the munitions that struck Kyrnia.

Eyewitnesses recounted seeing a fighter jet flying low over Kyrnia, emitting a deafening roar. “It was a fighter jet, very fast… flying low… from west to east,” a 35-year-old merchant described. “I saw it drop a bomb… like a fireball… and I ran to take cover under a tree.”

A 37-year-old cattle herder shared his experience, stating he was seated at the cattle market when he heard a loud rumble, followed by an explosion. He observed thick black smoke rising from the dwellings near the chief’s house, then heard a second explosion. “The market was in chaos,” he recounted, “stalls blown several meters away, cattle and sheep torn apart.” He assisted other residents in clearing debris from the collapsed chief’s house, while GSIM fighters coordinated rescue efforts. “The chief’s second wife was dead, and she had lost… her arms,” he explained. “Then [we found] the [bodies of the] two children… and another boy who had been thrown onto the roof by the explosion.”

Our analysis of the Africa Corps video and satellite images from June 25 revealed two craters in the southern part of Kyrnia, each approximately 12 meters wide, indicating the impact of two large air-dropped munitions. Around nine market stalls, visible in satellite imagery from February 7, appear to have been obliterated by the second strike. The strike outside the chief’s residence landed between structures, causing at least one building to collapse.

A 48-year-old camel herder recounted being “thrown [to the ground] by the blast of the first explosion” before realizing he was “covered in sand and debris.… [S]ome people in front of me were injured, some had broken arms.”

A 40-year-old man identified “the bodies of three merchants,” who were struck “while they were traveling on a tricycle loaded with bags of dates” through the cattle market.

The second strike injured three men, one of whom succumbed to his wounds the following day. A witness explained that the man had been hit by bomb fragments and that “[h]is arms had been shredded.”

My team reviewed a list containing the names of the eight victims, which included three children aged 1 to 10 years, a 24-year-old woman, and four men aged 30 to 40 years.

Witnesses reported that on June 14, a drone, likely operated by Malian armed forces or Africa Corps, flew over Kyrnia, suggesting the village was under surveillance. “I saw a drone in the sky the day before, between 4 and 5 p.m.,” the camel herder described. “It made several passes over the village before leaving.”

Witnesses confirmed that approximately one hundred GSIM fighters were present in the village at the time of the strikes, with most gathered at the mosque, about 150 meters from the impact sites. A 40-year-old man stated that at the mosque, some GSIM fighters were on motorcycles. “They had automatic weapons and were wearing military uniforms or boubous, their faces covered with turbans,” he explained. The merchant also noted that many GSIM fighters, including a senior commander, were either inside or outside the village chief’s shop, adjacent to the cattle market struck by the second munition.

The airstrikes occurred on a market day, when Kyrnia was bustling with merchants, buyers, and villagers. Residents indicated that since GSIM assumed control of the area, Kyrnia has evolved into a significant commercial hub with a thriving cattle market.

Locals affirmed that GSIM procured supplies, including fuel and food, from Kyrnia’s market. They speculated that the airstrikes might have targeted the village chief’s residence due to his pick-up truck, similar to those used by GSIM, being parked outside. They also explained that three of the chief’s sons were GSIM fighters, though they were not in Kyrnia at the time of the attack.

The laws of war, which govern the armed conflict in Mali, prohibit attacks that specifically target civilians or civilian property. They also forbid attacks that fail to distinguish between civilians and combatants, or those likely to cause disproportionate harm to civilians or civilian property relative to any anticipated military advantage.

Belligerent parties conducting attacks are obligated to undertake all feasible precautions to minimize civilian casualties. Furthermore, parties should avoid deploying forces in densely populated areas. The strikes in Kyrnia did not appear to target specific military objectives and thus would constitute illegal indiscriminate attacks. The fact that the village chief conducted business with GSIM does not render him a legitimate target for attack. My investigation uncovered no information indicating that the chief’s house was used for storing weapons or ammunition.

The Malian government bears the responsibility to investigate this incident thoroughly and to hold those accountable for violations of the laws of war, including members of Africa Corps.

“The Malian government cannot evade responsibility by hiding behind the violations of the laws of war committed by its Russian allies,” concluded Ilaria Allegrozzi. “The junta must impartially investigate all potential war crimes perpetrated on its territory, including the Kyrnia airstrikes, or face complicity in these abuses.”