The Malian transitional authorities’ repeated claims of a strengthening military and sovereign territorial control were sharply undercut on October 19, 2026, as the Military Tribunal of Mopti convened in Sévaré. With 72 defendants—69 of them soldiers—facing charges in 43 cases ranging from arms trafficking to desertion and violent crimes, the courtroom exposed an institution riddled with deep structural failures.
State weapons in the hands of terrorists
Among the most damning revelations is the mishandling of military hardware. Nearly half of the cases involve the loss, theft, diversion, or trafficking of weapons, ammunition, and magazines. Behind the legal jargon lies a grim security reality: a significant portion of the army’s official arsenal ends up directly in the hands of its enemies.
In the central and northern operational zones, equipment siphoned from official stocks—whether through negligence, corruption, or active collusion—finds its way to fighters of the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS). While Bamako consistently condemns alleged external support for terrorist groups, the Sévaré tribunal proves that a toxic supply chain thrives within military barracks and ammunition depots. The irony is biting: Malian soldiers’ blood is too often spilled by weapons paid for by the national budget.
Desertions and abuses: a force under strain
The second major red flag is the surge in desertion cases, described by the military prosecutor as the second most common offense. The growing number of soldiers abandoning their posts or leaving under irregular circumstances reveals a moral collapse and a breakdown of discipline that martial rhetoric about “sacrifice” can no longer conceal. Despite repeated calls for reintegration and ultimatums from the high command, the trend persists, depleting frontline numbers.
Even more damaging, the criminal chamber must address allegations of murder, torture, unlawful detention, and sexual violence committed by military personnel. These atrocities against civilians validate the warnings long issued by human rights organizations. By alienating local communities, such abuses sever the army’s most critical intelligence source and fuel insurgent propaganda, which portrays itself as a bulwark against state brutality.
A military justice system on the brink
The tribunal’s proceedings, touted as an act of transparency, instead highlight the chronic delays of a military justice system on the verge of collapse. The prosecution cites insecurity, a shortage of magistrates, and geographical remoteness to explain the rarity of hearings. Yet this inefficiency results in prolonged pre-trial detention, condemned by the Malian Bar Association, with some defendants languishing in prison for years before facing a judge.
A call for self-reckoning at the top
For Colonel Assimi Goïta and the supreme command, the Sévaré trials must not be treated as a routine cleanup or a public relations exercise. They serve as a stark warning: no military strategy can succeed if the chain of command allows weapons to leak to the enemy, if discipline crumbles on the front lines, and if justice operates erratically. Before demanding blind trust from the population, Mali’s defense apparatus must first address its own internal failures and seal the leaks draining its strength.
