Mali: human rights watch documents abuses by army, Russia, and jihadists

In a damning investigation released Monday, June 29, 2026, Human Rights Watch levels serious accusations against the forces operating in Mali. Since the military turning point of April 25, the regular army, its Russian allies, and Islamist insurgents have engaged in an escalation of violence. Beyond the human toll, the NGO highlights a brutal strategy of economic suffocation that pushes civilian populations into extreme hardship.

The spiral of violence after the fall of Kidal

The spring of 2026 marked a major rupture in the Malian crisis. On April 25, a combined operation by jihadists of the Group for the 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 retaliation from the central government. The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), backed by Russian instructors from Africa Corps, immediately shifted into a high-intensity counteroffensive campaign. While authorities keep the human cost of these operations secret, data compiled by Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports at least 13 dead and 25 wounded among civilians during the initial clashes in Gao and Kidal alone.

The fuel war: targeting the economy

On the ground, Jnim’s strategy has veered into economic terrorism. To pressure Bamako, Al-Qaeda-linked networks seek to cut the country’s logistical lifelines by imposing strict road blockades. Commercial transport is the first target of this war of attrition. Between May 6 and 21, more than 40 civilian vehicles traveling toward the capital were intercepted and burned. More structurally damaging is the systematic targeting of fuel tankers, which since September 2025 has cost drivers their lives and paralyzed distribution networks. This logistical strangulation deprives entire parts of the country of electricity and fuel, causing school closures and blocking local market activity. The insurgents’ oppression also manifests in targeted acts of terror, such as the public execution of a resident in Tonka, near Timbuktu, to deter any resistance.

Mechanisms of the humanitarian crisis:

• 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 response from FAMa and Africa Corps has resulted in heavy civilian losses. The NGO denounces systematic abuses during security operations in central Mali, where Peulh communities have suffered violent association 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 new-generation drone strikes: in Guimbé on April 25, an aerial bombardment killed 12 children and adolescents; in Téné on May 17, a strike hit a wedding ceremony, leaving 10 civilians dead.

Justifications and lack of dialogue

Questioned about the legitimacy of its targets and the suffocation of transport infrastructure, Jnim’s leadership 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 investigation

Faced with these flagrant violations of international humanitarian law, which strictly prohibits indiscriminate attacks on non-combatants, impunity remains the main obstacle to peace. According to Ilaria Allegrozzi, Sahel specialist at Human Rights Watch, this historic lack of accountability fuels the Malian 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 material evidence essential for future criminal proceedings.