A report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) accuses Russia’s government-controlled Africa Corps of carrying out unlawful airstrikes in central Mali that killed eight civilians, including three children.
According to HRW, the incident occurred on June 15, 2026, in the village of Kyrnia, located in the Mopti region. A military aircraft, identified by Malian military sources as a Sukhoi Su-24, dropped at least two air-delivered munitions on the village, which has been under the control of the Al-Qaeda-linked militant group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) for the past six years.
HRW reported that the first strike landed outside the home of the village chief, killing four people, including three children aged between one and ten. The second strike hit a nearby cattle market during a busy market day, killing four men and destroying several market stalls. No known casualties among JNIM fighters were reported.
The Africa Corps, the rebranded mercenary structure formerly known as the Wagner Group, now under direct command of the Russian Ministry of Defence, published a video of the strikes on social media on June 23, claiming to have targeted a “gathering place of terrorist groups.” However, geolocation and satellite imagery analysis by HRW confirmed the strikes directly impacted civilian areas.
Mali’s military junta, led by General Assimi Goïta, has increasingly relied on Russian military support following the expulsion of French and United Nations peacekeeping forces. HRW warned that the Malian government remains legally accountable for atrocities committed by its allied forces on its territory and urged an impartial investigation into potential war crimes.
–ChannelAfrica/HRW–
