Airstrikes conducted by the Russian-controlled Africa Corps in central Mali on June 15, 2026, resulted in the deaths of eight civilians, including three children, in an attack that appears to be unlawful. This tragic incident unfolded in the Mopti region, raising serious concerns for West Africa news outlets and human rights advocates.
On that fateful morning, an aircraft, identified by two Malian military sources as a Sukhoi Su-24, unleashed at least two munitions on the village of Kyrnia. The initial strike impacted outside the village chief’s residence, claiming the lives of two of his children, his wife, and another child, while also injuring a woman. The second munition detonated approximately twenty meters away, striking a small cattle market, killing four men and wounding two others. Significantly, none of the victims were identified as combatants from Islamist armed groups.
“An Africa Corps aircraft, operating under Russian government control, has killed civilians in a Malian village, demonstrating a clear disregard for the laws of war,” stated Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior Sahel researcher, commenting on the incident. “By granting a blank check to Russian authorities, the Malian government should recognize its own accountability for atrocities committed by its allied forces.”
Our extensive investigation, carried out between June 24 and July 14, involved telephone interviews with 19 individuals. These included six direct witnesses, civil society members, community leaders, Malian military sources, and local journalists. We also meticulously analyzed satellite imagery of the strike sites, reviewed a video of the strikes released online by Africa Corps, and examined photographs published on social media by an Islamist armed group. A letter detailing our findings and posing several questions was dispatched to the Russian Minister of Defense on July 23; however, no response has been received.
On June 23, Africa Corps announced via its Facebook and X accounts that it had successfully conducted an airstrike on a “terrorist gathering point” in the Mopti region on June 15, eliminating several field commanders. The organization also published a video showing the strikes and their aftermath. Our team successfully geolocated the two strikes visible in the video to Kyrnia.
For the past six years, Kyrnia has been under the control of the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM, or Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, JNIM). Witnesses reported that at least 100 GSIM fighters, including a high-ranking commander, were present in the village during the strikes. However, these fighters were primarily gathered at the village mosque and near a store adjacent to a small cattle market. While neither the mosque nor the store was hit, one munition struck the cattle market directly. GSIM is known to occasionally store weapons, ammunition, fuel, and other supplies in the village chief’s store, which he owns as a wealthy merchant. A pick-up truck, consistent with vehicles commonly used by GSIM, was observed parked in front of the chief’s house.
Since 2012, successive Malian governments have been engaged in conflict with Islamist armed groups. Following military coups in 2020 and 2021, junta leader General Assimi Goïta expelled French and UN forces, subsequently strengthening ties with Russia. Since 2021, the junta has relied on assistance from the Russia-linked Wagner Group for security management. This mercenary group was rebranded as Africa Corps after the death of Wagner founder Evgueni Prigojine in 2023, coming under direct control from Moscow, a significant shift in African politics.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged in June that Russian military personnel were collaborating with Malian armed forces to secure full control of Malian territory following GSIM attacks across the country on April 25. The Russian Ministry of Defense has stated that its forces utilize Su-24 aircraft to target GSIM combatants.
Media reports and satellite imagery indicate that Africa Corps has been deploying Su-24 aircraft in Mali since at least April 2025 to support the Malian army. There are no public records documenting the transfer of Su-24s to Malian authorities. These aircraft are capable of carrying a wide array of aerial munitions, including guided weapons, which align with the type of damage observed from the munitions that struck Kyrnia.
Witnesses recounted seeing a fighter jet flying low over Kyrnia, emitting a deafening sound. “It was a fighter jet, very fast… it flew low… from west to east,” a 35-year-old trader described. “I saw it drop a bomb… like a fireball… and I ran to take cover under a tree.”
A 37-year-old cattle herder shared that he was seated at the cattle market when he heard a loud rumble, followed by an explosion. He then witnessed thick black smoke rising from the dwellings near the chief’s house before hearing a second explosion. “The market was in chaos,” he stated, “stalls swept away for several meters, oxen and sheep torn apart.” He assisted other residents in clearing debris from the collapsed chief’s house, while GSIM fighters coordinated rescue efforts. “The chief’s second wife was dead, and she had lost… her arms,” he explained. “Then [we found] the [bodies of the] two children… and another boy who had been thrown onto the roof by the explosion.”
Our analysis of the Africa Corps video and satellite imagery from June 25 reveals two craters in the southern part of Kyrnia, each approximately 12 meters wide, indicating the deployment of two large air-dropped munitions. Around nine market stalls, visible in satellite images from February 7, appear to have been obliterated by the second strike. The strike outside the chief’s residence landed between structures, causing at least one building to collapse.
A 48-year-old camel herder recounted being “thrown [to the ground] by the blast of the first explosion” before realizing he was “covered in sand and debris.… [P]eople in front of me were injured, some had broken arms.”
A 40-year-old man identified “the bodies of three merchants,” struck “while they were traveling on a tricycle loaded with bags of dates” through the cattle market.
The second strike injured three men, one of whom tragically succumbed to his injuries the following day. A witness explained that the man had been hit by bomb fragments and that “[h]is arms had been shredded.”
We have reviewed a list containing the names of the eight victims, which includes three children aged 1 to 10 years, a 24-year-old woman, and four men aged 30 to 40 years.
Witnesses reported that on June 14, a drone, likely operated by Malian armed forces or Africa Corps, flew over Kyrnia, suggesting the village was under surveillance. “I saw a drone in the sky the day before, between 4 and 5 p.m.,” described the camel herder. “It made several passes over the village before leaving.”
Witnesses stated that approximately one hundred GSIM fighters were in the village at the time of the strikes, mostly at the mosque, about 150 meters from the impact sites. A 40-year-old man indicated that at the mosque, some GSIM fighters were on motorcycles. “They had automatic weapons and were wearing military uniforms or boubous, their faces covered with turbans,” he explained. The trader also reported that numerous GSIM fighters, including one of its senior commanders, were inside or outside the village chief’s store, located next to the cattle market hit by the second munition.
The strikes occurred on a market day, when Kyrnia was bustling with traders, buyers, and villagers. Residents indicated that since GSIM took control of the area, Kyrnia has become a significant commercial hub with a prominent cattle market.
Locals affirmed that GSIM purchased supplies, including fuel and food, from Kyrnia’s market. They speculated that the airstrikes might have targeted the village chief’s residence because his pick-up truck, similar to those used by GSIM, was parked outside. They also explained that three of the chief’s sons were GSIM fighters, but they were not in Kyrnia at the time of the attack.
The laws of war, applicable to the armed conflict in Mali, strictly prohibit attacks targeting civilians and civilian objects. They mandate distinction between civilians and combatants and forbid attacks likely to cause disproportionate harm to civilians or civilian objects relative to any anticipated military advantage.
Belligerent parties conducting attacks are obliged to take all feasible precautions to minimize civilian casualties. Parties should refrain from deploying in densely populated areas. The strikes in Kyrnia did not appear to target specific military objectives and would thus constitute illegal indiscriminate attacks. The fact that the village chief conducted business with GSIM does not justify designating him as a target. Our investigation uncovered no information indicating that the chief’s house was used to store weapons or ammunition.
The Malian government bears the responsibility to investigate this incident and hold those accountable for violations of the laws of war, including members of Africa Corps.
“The Malian government cannot hide behind the laws of war violations committed by its Russian allies,” concluded Ilaria Allegrozzi. “The junta must impartially investigate all potential war crimes perpetrated on its territory, including the Kyrnia airstrikes, or face being considered complicit in these abuses.”
