Military and Armed Groups in Mali Committing Human Rights Abuses Against Civilians
Author: Maya Mortenson
October 29, 2026
HHRC calls on all parties involved in the conflict in Mali to adhere to international law and halt all abuses against civilians. We urge the African Union Peace and Security Council to pressure parties to halt any future civilian abuses and breaches of international law and pursue accountability for past abuses and legal violations.
![Malian soliders [Image credit: Defence Imagery/Flickr]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f05ed1_632e2d2e7f8d49f1a743413824afbcce~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_799,h_570,al_c,q_85,enc_avif,quality_auto/f05ed1_632e2d2e7f8d49f1a743413824afbcce~mv2.jpg)
In Mali, abuses against civilians and breaches of international law have been carried out by the country’s military and its Russian paramilitary allies as well as armed opposition groups, according to Human Rights Watch. Mali has been embroiled in fighting and attacks since 2012, as the military has conflicted with armed groups including separatists and criminal gangs.
The country has been ruled by a military government since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021. In August 2020, a group of Malian soldiers arrested their senior leaders, seized weaponry, and detained then-President Aboubakar Keita. This coup took place after protests against the Keita for alleged corruption and failing to suppress an armed rebellion in the north of the country. After the 2020 coup, Colonel Assimi Goita, a special forces soldier who led the coup, was made vice president, and a civilian, Bah Ndaw, was installed as president. In-fighting among this joint government soon began, and Ndaw later reorganized the cabinet and removed military leaders who had been part of the 2020 coup. That same day, the military arrested Ndaw, and Goita announced himself as president.
The current government is supported by Russia, utilizing soldiers from the Russian state- funded Wagner Group, which has now become a state-controlled paramilitary group called Africa Corps.
Since July 2026, the Malian armed forces and its allies have been faced with increasing levels of attacks by Islamist and separatist groups. They have responded to these attacks with abusive countermeasures. Both sides have committed violations of international humanitarian law.
Mali’s military and Africa Corps have killed and wounded civilians. Additionally, the separatists and Islamist fighters have violated the laws of war, torturing and killing Malian soldiers.
Human Rights Watch reported “indiscriminate” drone attacks conducted by the Malian military. The report documented one drone attack that destroyed part of a health facility and another that hit a market, killing six civilians and wounding at least 20. Also reported was an attack by Malian soldiers against armed opposition groups in the Segou region, where five girls were shot and killed, and another attack where a military-allied militia killed three civilians. Finally, the report identified an attack on a military convoy carried out by separatist fighters and the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), in which the two groups tortured and executed at least 19 Malian troops that they had been holding as prisoners.
Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, a nongovernmental organization that analyzes global conflict data, found that between April and August 2026, Africa Corps and Malian forces carried out 49 airstrikes, killing 89 civilians, more than double the number of airstrikes in that same period in 2025. The data also highlighted that over this same time period, JNIM forces killed 134 civilians.
The African Union Peace and Security Council, at its April 28th session on Mali, requested increased African Union support for Mali’s security sector and advocated for protecting civilians and regular briefings.
Glossary
Cabinet: A body of advisers of a head of state.
Civilian: A person who is not a member of the military or of a police or firefighting force.
Convoy: A group of vehicles or ships travelling together.
Countermeasure: An action or device designed to negate or offset another.
Coup: A sudden decisive exercise of force in politics and especially the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group.
Drone: An uncrewed aircraft or vessel guided by remote control or onboard computers.
Embroil: To involve in conflict or difficulties.
Indiscriminate: Affecting or harming many people or things in a careless or unfair way.
International Law: A set of rules and principles governing the relations and conduct of sovereign states with each other, as well as with international organizations and individuals.
Islamism: A popular reform movement advocating the reordering of government and society in accordance with laws prescribed by Islam.
Paramilitary: Of or relating to a group that is not an official army but that operates and is organized like an army.
Separatist: A member of a group of people who want to form a new country, religion, etc., that is separate from the one they are in now.
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