A Russian government-controlled aircraft killed eight civilians, including three children, in an airstrike on a village in central Mali last month, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday. The rights group accused the Russia-backed Africa Corps of carrying out the strike and urged Mali's military government to investigate the incident and hold those responsible to account.
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HRW said a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft dropped two munitions on Kyrnia village in the Mopti region on June 15. One bomb landed near the home of the village chief, killing his wife and three children, while the second struck a nearby cattle market, killing four men. The organisation said around 100 fighters from the al-Qaida-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) were present in the village but gathered elsewhere, and that the strikes did not appear to target a clear military objective. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claims.
HRW said it interviewed 19 people, analysed satellite imagery and reviewed a video posted by Africa Corps describing the operation as an attack on a "terrorist" gathering. It warned that failure to investigate could make Mali's authorities complicit in possible war crimes. Russia's Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The allegations come as Mali faces its worst security crisis in years. Militants linked to al-Qaida and Tuareg separatist rebels have stepped up joint attacks against the military, exposing the junta's reliance on Russian support after it severed defence ties with France. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), militant attacks killed 3,435 people in the first seven months of this year, up 35% from 2,546 during the same period in 2024.
JNIM, one of al-Qaida's strongest regional affiliates, has expanded its influence across Mali and neighbouring countries, while the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) is seeking independence for northern Mali. Russia's Africa Corps, which replaced the Wagner Group in 2024, now operates alongside Malian forces and has repeatedly faced accusations of serious human rights abuses.
