Bamako — Behind the headlines of Mali’s long-running conflict lies a complex web of military operations, shifting alliances and a civilian population caught in the middle. A new report from Amnesty International, published on 28 September 2026, pulls back the curtain on the dynamics that have allowed war crimes to persist between 2023 and 2025, documenting abuses attributed to Malian armed forces operating alongside foreign fighters from the Wagner group.
Unpacking the findings: what the evidence reveals
Titled “No one is spared,” the report draws on research conducted in Mauritania among Malian refugees. Amnesty International says it gathered testimonies from 119 people originating from the Ségou, Mopti and Tombouctou regions. The organisation also states it cross-checked these accounts with other sources and analysed information related to military operations.
The picture painted by the human rights body is stark: at least 34 civilians are said to have been killed in seven Malian localities between June 2023 and December 2025 during operations attributed to Malian forces and their Wagner allies. Amnesty also cites cases of torture, enforced disappearance, looting and destruction of civilian property.
Civilians trapped in the theatre of operations
The documented incidents largely concern Mali’s central and northern regions, particularly Ségou, Mopti and Tombouctou — territories severely affected by insecurity and armed group activity.
According to Amnesty International, some victims were killed as they tried to flee or after being arrested. The organisation also reports cases where individuals were reportedly beheaded or burned. In Tin Adanda, in the Tombouctou region, four people are said to have been killed during a joint patrol conducted in February 2025.
One of the report’s central concerns relates to pastoral populations, notably Fulani, Arab and Tuareg communities. Amnesty estimates that many victims belonged to these communities, accused or suspected of proximity to armed groups because of their origin or their presence in areas controlled or frequented by insurgents. The organisation warns against what it considers a risk of generalisation: conflating an entire community with armed groups could expose civilian populations to collective reprisals.
Drone strikes at the heart of the allegations
The report also revisits two drone strikes carried out in 2025 by Malian forces in the Tombouctou region. Amnesty claims they resulted in at least 23 deaths, including at least five children.
One of the most documented cases concerns the Ejdeir market, struck on 16 March 2025. According to Amnesty, 16 people were killed and seven others injured. The organisation says it found no evidence establishing the presence of fighters or military objectives at the market at the time of the strike.
Malian authorities had stated they targeted “meetings of terrorists.” Amnesty believes the geographic information provided by the authorities corresponds to the location struck at Ejdeir. The organisation argues that, in the absence of a proven military target, such an attack could constitute a direct attack on civilians and should be investigated as a possible war crime.
This question is particularly sensitive in a conflict where Malian authorities present military operations as necessary to combat jihadist groups and other armed organisations. Amnesty’s report does not challenge, in principle, the authorities’ right to fight armed groups. It nevertheless insists on the obligation to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilian populations.
Torture allegations in military bases
Another particularly grave section of the report concerns accusations of torture and ill-treatment inflicted on detainees.
Amnesty International says it interviewed 15 men who claimed to have suffered torture during joint patrols or in military bases located in Léré and Nampala, among other places. The organisation indicates their accounts were corroborated by witnesses who said they had observed acts of torture affecting around thirty people.
The methods described are especially violent: suspension of detainees by the arms, simulated drowning, beatings with metal bars or sticks, and electric shocks. According to Amnesty, five people died in military bases as a result of torture or poor detention conditions.
The report states that the acts were mainly committed by Wagner members, sometimes in the presence of Malian soldiers. Some individuals were reportedly held for days to months without being brought before a court, nor able to benefit from legal assistance or contact their relatives.
From Wagner to Africa Corps: a changing landscape
The report comes as Russia’s presence in Mali has evolved. The Wagner group, present in the country since late 2021, was replaced in June 2025 by Africa Corps, a structure placed under the control of the Russian Ministry of Defence.
Amnesty International is therefore calling on Malian authorities to publicly clarify relations with Africa Corps and the control mechanisms applicable to its members. For the organisation, the change in structure should not translate into an absence of accountability when violations of international law are committed.
This shift occurs against a backdrop of profound transformation in Mali’s security policy. Since the 2020 coup, authorities have gradually strengthened military cooperation with Russia while reducing dependence on Western partners.
A crisis that extends beyond government forces
Amnesty International nevertheless stresses that the documented abuses cannot be attributed to a single side. In recent years, armed groups active in Mali have also been accused of serious violations of international humanitarian law.
The organisation recalls that armed groups have committed unlawful killings, abductions and other abuses against civilian populations. This clarification matters in a complex conflict where multiple armed actors are present and civilians often find themselves caught between different forces.
The humanitarian situation remains concerning. According to data presented by Amnesty in its Mali assessment, more than 2,036 schools were closed due to insecurity, depriving hundreds of thousands of children of access to education.
The question of impunity
Beyond the accusations themselves, the report raises a central question: that of justice.
Amnesty International says it transmitted its findings to Malian authorities on 3 August 2026 and indicates it had not received a response at the time of the report’s publication. The organisation is calling on Bamako to open “effective and impartial” investigations into the alleged crimes and to prosecute, where evidence warrants, those responsible before jurisdictions respecting fair trial guarantees.
The judicial question takes on an additional dimension following Mali’s announced decision in June 2026 to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court. According to Amnesty, this withdrawal does not end proceedings already covered by the ICC’s jurisdiction: the court would retain jurisdiction over crimes within its mandate committed during the legally applicable period.
In this context, Amnesty International’s report appears less as a simple inventory of abuses than as a warning about the risk of entrenched impunity.
The human reality behind the figures
For civilian populations in Ségou, Mopti and Tombouctou, the challenge remains immediate: surviving in a conflict where the distinction between combatants and civilians often remains fragile. For Malian authorities, the accusations formulated by Amnesty now constitute an additional file that must be answered, in the name of protecting populations but also the credibility of institutions responsible for delivering justice.
Behind the statistics — 34 documented deaths, dozens of detainees tortured and dozens of other presumed victims — lies a reality harder to measure: that of displaced families, villages emptied of their inhabitants, and a population that continues to live between the threat of armed groups and the operations of security forces.
Amnesty’s report thus recalls a fundamental requirement of international law: the fight against armed groups does not exempt any party to the conflict from protecting civilians. In Mali, the battle against insecurity is therefore also being fought on another front — that of justice, accountability and the protection of populations.
