Mali Rebels and Army Kill 80+ Civilians in New Wave of Attacks

Islamist armed groups and Malian government forces have committed serious abuses against civilians since fighting escalated in April 2026, Human Rights Watch said today. The al-Qaeda-linked group JNIM, allied with Tuareg separatist fighters, launched coordinated attacks across Mali on April 25. They killed 13 civilians and wounded at least 25 in the northern cities of Gao and Kidal. The group also announced a “total siege” of the capital, Bamako, and threatened to kill civilians who tried to enter or leave. In response, Malian soldiers and their Russian allies from Africa Corps carried out apparent reprisal attacks. On May 14, soldiers and allied militia members killed 38 Fulani civilians, including 23 children, in the village of Sarkala Werè. They burned homes and looted livestock. Witnesses said no fighters were in the village at the time, and the attack targeted residents solely because of their ethnicity. “As fighting flares up again, the warring parties in Mali are once again carrying out grave abuses against civilians,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. “All parties are obligated to respect international humanitarian law.” Human Rights Watch documented two apparent military drone strikes that killed civilians. On April 25, a strike in Guimbé killed 12 children and teenagers who were bathing in a river. On May 17, a strike hit a wedding celebration in Tené, killing 10 people, including the groom. JNIM fighters also burned more than 40 civilian vehicles heading to Bamako in early May, accusing passengers of violating the siege. On May 21, they publicly executed a Quranic teacher in the town of Tonka. Since September 2025, JNIM has cut off fuel supplies to Mali, blocking tanker trucks and killing drivers. This has caused severe shortages of fuel, electricity, and food in Bamako. Human Rights Watch interviewed 34 people and analyzed videos, photographs, and satellite imagery to verify the abuses. The group sent a letter to Mali’s justice minister on June 11 but received no response. All parties to the conflict are bound by international humanitarian law. Deliberate attacks on civilians are war crimes. Human Rights Watch called on the United Nations and African Union to support independent investigations and prosecutions.