Mopti region, Mali.
(Nairobi, July 31, 2026) – The Russian government-controlled Africa Corps carried out airstrikes in central Mali on June 15, 2026, that killed eight civilians, including three children, in an apparently unlawful attack, Human Rights Watch said today.
That morning, an aircraft identified by two Malian military sources as a Sukhoi Su-24, dropped at least two munitions on Kyrnia village, Mopti region. The first struck outside the village chief’s residence, killing two of his children, his wife, and another child, and injuring a woman. The second struck a small cattle market about twenty meters away, killing four men and injuring two others. No Islamist armed group fighters were known to be casualties.
“Russian government-controlled Africa Corps aircraft have killed civilians in a Malian village in seeming disregard for the laws of war,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. “By handing the Russian authorities a blank check, the Malian government should be aware that it too is accountable for allied forces’ atrocities.”
Human Rights Watch remotely interviewed 19 people between June 24 and July 14, including 6 witnesses, civil society members, community leaders, Malian military sources, and local journalists. Human Rights Watch also analyzed satellite imagery of the locations of the strikes, a video of the strikes that the Africa Corps placed online, and photographs that an Islamist armed group posted on social media. On July 22, Human Rights Watch sent a letter to the Russian defense minister, summarizing its findings and posing several questions, but received no response.
On June 23, the Africa Corps reported on its Facebook and X accounts that on June 15 it had carried out a successful airstrike on a “gathering place of terrorist groups” in the Mopti region, killing several “field commanders,” and p
