HRW says Russian Africa Corps strike killed eight civilians in central Mali

Dakar,UPDATED: Jul 31, 2026 15:20 IST

Human Rights Watch has said that aircraft operated by the Russian government-controlled Africa Corps killed eight civilians, including three children, in an airstrike on a village in central Mali last month. The rights group said the strike hit Kyrnia village in the Mopti region on June 15.

According to the group, a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft dropped two munitions on the village. One strike landed near the home of the village chief, killing his wife and three children, while the second hit a nearby cattle market, killing four men. Human Rights Watch said no fighters from the Islamic militant group JNIM, which has controlled the village for six years, were reported among the dead.

The Associated Press said it could not independently verify the claims made by Human Rights Watch. Mali has faced violence for more than a decade from militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, including JNIM, as well as a Tuareg separatist rebellion in the north.

The violence has worsened in recent months after an alliance of JNIM and Tuareg separatists carried out what was described as the largest coordinated attack in more than a decade. The attacks targeted the airport in the capital Bamako, the nearby garrison town of Kati, and several cities in the north and centre of the country.

April's attacks highlighted weaknesses in Mali's strategy against the rebellion, including its reliance on Russia after the military-led government moved away from former allies such as France. Russian mercenaries have been in Mali since late 2021 to support the junta's fight against militants and separatists. Last year, Africa Corps, which reports to Russia's Defence Ministry, replaced the private mercenary Wagner Group in the country.

Human Rights Watch said it interviewed 19 people, analysed satellite imagery and reviewed a video posted online by Africa Corps, which described the strike as targeting a "terrorist" gathering. Researchers said about 100 JNIM fighters were in the village at the time, but were mostly gathered elsewhere, and that the strikes did not appear to target a clear military objective.

The rights group called on Mali's government to investigate the strike and hold those responsible to account, saying it could otherwise be complicit in war crimes. Russia's Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Overall, the report says the June 15 strike on Kyrnia killed eight civilians and has raised fresh questions over Mali's security strategy and the role of Russian forces in the country.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends