Human Rights Watch: Parties to the conflict in Mali are committing serious human rights abuses
Ahmed Salem
According to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), the warring parties in Mali are committing serious human rights abuses.
The NGO alleges that Islamist fighters, Malian forces, and foreign mercenaries backed by the government have all committed serious abuses against civilians since the fighting escalated in April.
On April 25, al-Qaeda-linked jihadists seeking to overthrow the military junta joined forces with Tuareg fighters of the Azawad Liberation Front, killing Defense Minister Sadio Camara and capturing the northern town of Kidal.
Human Rights Watch says the Malian army and Russian Africa Legion fighters responded with apparent reprisals against Fulani communities and two airstrikes that killed civilians.
Militants from the Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) group laid siege to the capital, Bamako. In May, they burned more than 40 civilian vehicles that tried to enter the city and publicly executed a man in Tonka, near Timbuktu.
“Long-standing impunity continues to fuel a cycle of abuses against civilians in Mali,” said Human Rights Watch’s senior Sahel researcher, calling on the United Nations and the African Union to support independent investigations into the abuses.
Mali launches security strikes against terrorism
In a new escalation of the war on terror, the Malian armed forces announced the execution of a precise air operation targeting sites belonging to terrorist groups in the Timbuktu region in the north of the country, in a move that reflects the continuation of military operations aimed at pursuing extremist elements and tightening the noose on their movements within the rugged desert areas.
According to a statement issued by the General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces, the air operation was carried out during the night of June 25, 2026, following intensive intelligence monitoring of the movements of a group of terrorist elements who were based at a site believed to be used for military purposes, about 65 kilometers northeast of the city of Bambara Maoundé in the Timbuktu region.
The statement indicated that reconnaissance units also spotted a support vehicle parked near the site, which reinforced the importance of the target and confirmed the presence of logistical activity serving those armed groups.
After verifying the information and confirming the identity of the targets, the Malian Air Force launched precise airstrikes, which, according to initial assessments, resulted in the neutralization of a number of terrorist elements, in addition to the complete destruction of the support vehicle. Military authorities continue to assess the final results of the operation and the extent of the losses inflicted on the targeted organizations.
