Madar (Bamako) - Human Rights Watch on Sunday, October 19, 2026, accused Malian forces and their allies of "abusive" operations against civilians in central and northern Mali since July, and Islamist and separatist armed groups of serious abuses against captured soldiers, in a new report.
The group documented two drone strikes it attributed to the Malian army and described as "apparently indiscriminate": one hit a health centre in Talahandak, Kidal region, on July 29; the other struck a cattle market in Tombonkore, Bandiagara region, on August 19, killing six civilians and wounding at least 20, the report said.
The army said at the time it had struck a "terrorist hideout" in Tombonkore and "neutralised" about 20 "terrorists", while witnesses interviewed by HRW said no fighters were at the market.
According to HRW, JNIM and Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) fighters ambushed a convoy of Malian troops and Russia's Africa Corps near Tabrichat, Gao region, on July 18, then tortured and executed at least 19 soldiers who had surrendered, with more than 50 soldiers missing.
JNIM's Sharia committee acknowledged in writing that the killings took place but said it had not ordered them, while FLA spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane denied that his forces carried out executions.
The report also cites the killing of five girls aged 10 to 13 by soldiers near Niono on July 12, for which the army apologised, and the killing of three Fulani men by Dozo militiamen near Djenne in late July.
Citing ACLED data, HRW said Malian forces killed 268 civilians between April and August 2026, against 134 killed by JNIM.
HRW said it sent its findings to Mali's defence minister on August 5 without a reply, and urged the African Union Peace and Security Council to hold a dedicated session on civilian protection and press for independent investigations into abuses by all sides.
