Human Rights Watch Accuses Russian Africa Corps of Fatal Mali Air Strike

The incident occurred on June 15 when an aircraft, identified by military sources as a Sukhoi Su-24, dropped munitions on the Mopti region settlement. One strike targeted the home of the village chief, killing his wife and three children, while a second hit a local cattle market, claiming the lives of four men. Although the Africa Corps claimed on social media that the operation neutralized a gathering place for terrorist groups, Human Rights Watch found no evidence that any fighters from the al Qaeda-linked Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) were killed in the attack.

Local residents reported that while JNIM fighters were present in the village at the time, they were concentrated near the mosque and remained unharmed. The Africa Corps, established by the Russian defense ministry to replace the Wagner Group's regional footprint, currently supports Mali’s military-led government in its decade-long struggle against Islamist insurgents. Armed Conflict Location & Event Data records indicate that joint operations involving Malian forces and Russian personnel resulted in 918 civilian deaths last year, a figure significantly higher than that attributed to their insurgent adversaries. Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, warned that the Malian government shares accountability for these actions by granting Russian forces unchecked operational authority.