Mali: Human Rights Watch accuses FAMa and Africa Corps of grave abuses alongside jihadists

A new investigative report released in late June 2026 by Human Rights Watch paints a damning picture of the situation in Mali. Since the military shift on April 25, 2026, the regular army, its Russian allies, and Islamist insurgents have engaged in escalating violence. Beyond the human toll, the NGO highlights a devastating strategy of economic strangulation that pushes civilian populations into extreme hardship.

Cycle of violence after the fall of Kidal

Spring 2026 marked a major breaking point in Mali’s crisis. On April 25, a joint operation by jihadists from the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (Jnim) and separatists from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) resulted in the capture of Kidal and the killing of Defense Minister Sadio Camara. This defeat triggered a massive counteroffensive from the central government. The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), backed by Russian instructors from Africa Corps, immediately launched a high-intensity campaign. While authorities keep the human cost of these operations secret, data compiled by Human Rights Watch documents at least 13 civilian deaths and 25 injuries during the initial clashes in Gao and Kidal alone.

Fuel war: targeting the economy

On the ground, Jnim’s strategy shifted toward economic terrorism. To pressure Bamako, Al-Qaeda-affiliated networks aim to cut the country’s logistical lifelines by imposing strict road blockades. Commercial transport is the first casualty of this war of attrition. Between May 6 and 21, more than 40 civilian transport vehicles heading to the capital were intercepted and burned. More structurally damaging is the systematic targeting of fuel tankers, which has been causing driver deaths and paralyzing distribution networks since September 2025. This logistical strangulation deprives entire regions of electricity and fuel, leading to school closures and market shutdowns.

The insurgents also employ targeted terror, such as the public execution of a resident in Tonka, near Timbuktu, to deter resistance.

• Jnim tactic: road blockades leading to energy shortages and inflation
• FAMa/Russia response: indiscriminate drone raids causing displacement and civilian casualties

Civilians targeted by the Bamako-Moscow alliance

Meanwhile, the FAMa and Africa Corps response has resulted in heavy civilian casualties. The NGO denounces systematic abuses during security operations in central Mali, where Peul communities are violently conflated with insurgent movements. Between May 14 and 17 alone, HRW’s documentation identified 38 civilians killed during ground incursions, including 23 minors. Added to this is the tragic toll of latest-generation drone strikes:

• Guimbé (April 25): An airstrike kills 12 children and teenagers.
• Téné (May 17): A strike hits a wedding ceremony, leaving 10 civilians dead.

Justifications and lack of dialogue

Asked about the legitimacy of its targets and the strangulation of transport infrastructure, Jnim’s command responded to HRW investigators. The armed group claims that the targeted civilians refused to submit to decrees and regulations imposed by the movement in its areas of influence. On the Malian state side, the Ministry of Justice remained silent, leaving unanswered the requests for clarification and right-of-reply protocols sent by the human rights organization.

Call for an international inquiry

Faced with these flagrant violations of international humanitarian law, which strictly prohibits indiscriminate attacks on non-combatants, impunity remains the main obstacle to peace. For Ilaria Allegrozzi, a Sahel specialist at Human Rights Watch, this historic lack of accountability fuels Mali’s tragedy. Deprived of the monitoring mechanisms of the former UN mission, the country sinks into arbitrariness. The organization now urges the African Union and the United Nations to urgently sponsor a fact-finding mission to collect the material evidence necessary for future criminal proceedings.