Mali’s military and armed groups committing abuses against civilians: HRW

Soldiers, fighters and separatists in West African country committing grave laws-of-war violations, rights group finds.

Soldiers wait for the start of the funeral for former Defence Minister Sadio Camara at the Military Engineering Parade Ground in Bamako, Mali [File: Boubacary Bocoum/AP]

Mali’s military and its Russian paramilitary allies have killed civilians in breach of international law, and opposition armed groups have done likewise, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.

Soldiers and fighters “are committing grave laws-of-war violations while international organisations and governments largely stand by”, the United States-based rights watchdog said in a report released on Monday.

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It urged the African Union’s Peace and Security Council to “urgently take action to prevent further atrocities” in Mali.

The West African country has been mired in fighting and attacks since 2012 as the military and its allies have battled an array of armed groups, including Tuareg separatists, and criminal gangs.

The military government that has ruled Mali since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021 has turned to Russia for support, enlisting the services initially of fighters from the private Wagner Group, which became the state-controlled paramilitary group Africa Corps in 2025.

‘Scores of civilians’ killed

The rights group said its report was based on interviews with 30 people – witnesses, human rights defenders, community leaders, journalists and a Malian soldier – conducted from late July to mid-September.

“Mali’s military and the allied Russia-controlled Africa Corps … have killed and wounded scores of civilians in attacks and in custody in violation of international humanitarian law,” HRW said.

Armed groups “have also violated the laws-of-war, including torturing and executing captured Malian soldiers”, it added.

HRW said it documented two “apparently indiscriminate” drone attacks by the Malian military.

According to the report, a July 29 attack in the Kidal region of northeastern Mali destroyed part of a health facility, and a second on August 19 hit a market in the central region of Bandiagara, killing six civilians and wounding at least 20.

HRW said it also documented an operation against armed groups in the Segou region in the south, where Malian soldiers shot and killed five girls, and another in the central region of Mopti, where members of the military-allied Dozo militia killed three civilians, “all with impunity”.

Fighters from the separatist Azawad Liberation Front patrol the streets of Kidal, Mali [FIle: AFP]

Fighters ‘execute’ soldiers

HRW also cited an attack on a military convoy in the Gao region on July 18 by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and allied separatist fighters in the Azawad Liberation Front.

It said the two groups “tortured and executed at least 19 Malian troops” they had taken prisoner.

The JNIM acknowledged that prisoners were killed in the event but denied having ordered the deaths, HRW said.

The Azawad Liberation Front, HRW added, acknowledged fighting with the army and Russian forces in the northeastern region on the day but denied executing soldiers.

The HRW report also drew on research by Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a nongovernmentsl group that gathers conflict data from around the world.

It said its data show 49 air strikes by Malian forces and the Africa Corps from April to August that killed 89 civilians, “more than double the 22 strikes and 44 civilian deaths reported during the same period last year”.

HRW said it sent a letter to Mali’s defence minister on August 5 with its findings and questions but received no response.

人权组织发现，西非某国的士兵、武装人员和分裂分子犯下了严重违反战争法的罪行。

在马里巴马科军事工程阅兵场，士兵们等待前国防部长萨迪奥·卡马拉的葬礼开始。[图片：布巴卡里·博库姆/美联社]

人权观察组织（HRW）表示，马里军队及其俄罗斯准军事盟友违反国际法杀害平民，反对派武装团体也做了同样的事情。

这家总部位于美国的人权监督机构周一发布的一份报告称，士兵和战斗人员“正在犯下严重的违反战争法的行为，而国际组织和各国政府却大多袖手旁观”。

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肯尼亚记录了第三例埃博拉病例，与首例死亡患者有关，该病例为3例中的第3例。

它敦促非洲联盟和平与安全理事会“紧急采取行动，防止马里发生进一步暴行”。

自 2012 年以来，这个西非国家一直深陷战斗和袭击之中，军方及其盟友与包括图阿雷格分离主义分子和犯罪团伙在内的各种武装团体作战。

自 2020 年和 2021 年连续两次政变以来一直统治马里的军政府转向俄罗斯寻求支持，最初招募了来自私人瓦格纳集团的战士，该集团于 2025 年成为国家控制的准军事组织非洲军团。

“数十名平民”丧生

该人权组织表示，其报​​告基于对 30 人的采访，包括证人、人权捍卫者、社区领袖、记者和一名马里士兵，采访时间从 7 月下旬到 9 月中旬。

人权观察组织表示：“马里军队及其盟友、受俄罗斯控制的非洲军团……在袭击和拘留期间，违反国际人道主义法，造成数十名平民伤亡。”

声明还补充说，武装团体“还违反了战争法，包括对被俘的马里士兵实施酷刑和处决”。

人权观察组织表示，他们记录了马里军方发动的两起“显然是无差别”的无人机袭击。

据报道，7 月 29 日，马里东北部基达尔地区发生一起袭击事件，摧毁了一家医疗机构的部分设施；8 月 19 日，中部邦贾加拉地区的一个市场遭到袭击，造成 6 名平民死亡，至少 20 人受伤。

人权观察组织表示，他们还记录了在南部塞古地区针对武装团体的一次行动，马里士兵在那里枪杀了五名女孩；以及在中部莫普提地区的另一次行动，在那里与军方结盟的多佐民兵杀害了三名平民，“所有这些都未受到惩罚”。

来自分离主义组织阿扎瓦德解放阵线的战士在马里基达尔的街道上巡逻。[图片来源：法新社]

战士们“处决”士兵

人权观察组织还提到，7 月 18 日，伊斯兰与穆斯林支持组织（JNIM）及其盟友阿扎瓦德解放阵线的分离主义武装分子在加奥地区袭击了一支军用车队。

声明称，这两个组织“对至少 19 名被俘的马里士兵进行了酷刑折磨并处决”。

人权观察组织表示，JNIM承认事件中有囚犯丧生，但否认下令杀害他们。

人权观察组织补充说，阿扎瓦德解放阵线承认当天在东北地区与军队和俄罗斯军队发生战斗，但否认处决士兵。

人权观察的报告还引用了武装冲突地点和事件数据组织的研究成果，该组织是一个收集世界各地冲突数据的非政府组织。

报告称，其数据显示，从 4 月到 8 月，马里军队和非洲军团发动了 49 次空袭，造成 89 名平民死亡，“是去年同期报告的 22 次空袭和 44 名平民死亡的两倍多”。

人权观察组织表示，他们于8月5日向马里国防部长递交了调查结果和问题，但没有收到任何回复。