Key facts
- Civilians in Mali faced serious abuses from Islamic militants and Malian armed forces and allies.
- Human Rights Watch documented killings and destruction of civilian property by JNIM fighters.
- Malian army and allies conducted abusive counterinsurgency operations, resulting in civilian deaths.
- Mali's military conducted drone strikes that killed 22 people, including children.
- Thousands of Malians have fled to Mauritania amid escalating violence.
Civilians in Mali have been subjected to serious abuses by both Islamic militants and the Malian armed forces, along with their allies, according to a Human Rights Watch report released on Monday. The report details killings and destruction of civilian property by JNIM fighters, as well as abusive counterinsurgency operations targeting Fulani communities by the Malian army and its allies, which resulted in the deaths of 38 civilians, including 23 children.
Mali's military also conducted two apparent drone strikes that killed 10 adults and 12 children and teenagers. Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated that warring parties are repeating grave abuses against civilians, fueling a cycle of violence due to longstanding impunity.
The report's findings are based on interviews with 30 witnesses, verification of geolocated videos and photographs from social media, and analysis of satellite imagery. Mali has been grappling with over a decade of conflict involving militants affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, including JNIM, and a Tuareg separatist rebellion in the north.
Escalating violence in recent months followed a large coordinated attack by JNIM and Tuareg separatists on multiple locations, including the capital's airport. Thousands of Malians have fled to Mauritania as fighting intensified, with refugees reporting indiscriminate killings, beheadings, abductions, and sexual abuse by Africa Corps, the Russian military unit operating with the Malian army.
A spokesman for the FLA, Mohamed El Maouloud Ramadane, asserted that measures were taken to prevent civilian casualties and that communities were warned to stay away from military sites. JNIM, in its defense, stated that civilians violating its rules are punished according to Sharia law. Malian military authorities did not respond to Human Rights Watch's inquiries.