Mali: Russia's 'Africa Corps' Airstrikes Kill Civilians

What the report says

AllAfrica carried a Human Rights Watch report saying Russia’s government-controlled Africa Corps launched airstrikes on Kyrnia village in Mali’s central Mopti region on June 15, 2026, killing eight civilians, among them three children. HRW described the attack as apparently unlawful and said no Islamist armed group fighters were known to have been killed. The village has reportedly been under the control of the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, or JNIM, for six years.

According to HRW, two Malian military sources identified the aircraft as a Sukhoi Su-24. The first munition hit near the village chief’s residence, killing his wife, two of his children and another child, while the second landed at a nearby cattle market, killing four men. HRW said witnesses described a low-flying jet, explosions, collapsed structures and destroyed market stalls on a busy market day.

HRW said it interviewed 19 people remotely, reviewed satellite imagery, analyzed a video posted by Africa Corps and examined photos shared on social media by an Islamist armed group. Africa Corps later said online that it had struck a “gathering place” of terrorist groups in Mopti and killed commanders. HRW said it geolocated the strike video to Kyrnia and found two large craters consistent with air-delivered munitions.

The report comes amid Mali’s deepening security partnership with Russia after the ruling junta expelled French and UN forces. HRW said Mali could share responsibility for abuses by allied forces. It reported sending questions to Russia’s defense minister on July 22 and receiving no response.