Mali war crimes report: the human and economic cost of impunity for families in Ségou, Mopti and Tombouctou

Bamako — A newly released investigation by Amnesty International paints a stark picture of the human and economic toll that more than a decade of conflict in Mali has inflicted on ordinary citizens. The report, published on 28 September 2026, accuses members of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), operating alongside foreign fighters from the Wagner Group, of committing war crimes against civilians between 2023 and 2025. Beyond the grave allegations, the findings highlight how insecurity continues to reshape daily life, displace communities and choke economic activity across the country’s central and northern regions.

The real-world consequences for civilians in conflict zones

Entitled No one is spared, the report draws on field research conducted in Mauritania with Malian refugees. Amnesty International says it collected testimonies from 119 people originating from the Ségou, Mopti and Tombouctou regions, cross-referenced their accounts with other sources and analysed information related to military operations.

The organisation’s conclusions are damning: at least 34 civilians were allegedly killed in seven Malian localities between June 2023 and December 2025 during operations attributed to Malian forces and their Wagner allies. The report also documents cases of torture, forced disappearance, pillage and destruction of civilian property.

How military operations are affecting pastoral and civilian communities

The documented incidents occurred mainly in the central and northern parts of Mali — Ségou, Mopti and Tombouctou — areas already 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 in which individuals were allegedly beheaded or burned. In Tin Adanda, in the Tombouctou region, four people were reportedly killed during a joint patrol in February 2025.

A major concern highlighted in the report is the impact on pastoral populations, particularly Fulani, Arab and Tuareg communities. Amnesty estimates that many victims belonged to these communities, who are often accused or suspected of ties to armed groups simply because of their origin or their presence in areas controlled or frequented by insurgents.

The organisation warns against what it sees as a dangerous generalisation: equating an entire community with armed groups could expose civilian populations to collective reprisals, deepening displacement and economic marginalisation.

Drone strikes and the economic fallout for local markets

The report also examines two drone strikes carried out in 2025 by Malian forces in the Tombouctou region. Amnesty says they killed at least 23 people, including at least five children.

One of the most thoroughly documented cases concerns the Ejdeir market, struck on 16 March 2025. According to Amnesty, 16 people were killed and seven others wounded. 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 notes that the geographical information provided by the authorities corresponds to the location struck at Ejdeir. In the absence of a verified military target, the organisation argues that such an attack could amount to a direct attack on civilians and should be investigated as a possible war crime.

This issue is especially sensitive in a conflict where Malian authorities present military operations as necessary to fight jihadist and other armed groups. The Amnesty report does not question, in principle, the authorities’ right to combat armed groups. It nonetheless stresses the obligation to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilian populations — a point with direct consequences for local economies, as marketplaces and transport routes become risky or unusable.

Torture allegations in military bases: a climate of fear

Another grave section of the report concerns allegations of torture and ill-treatment of detainees.

Amnesty International says it interviewed 15 men who claimed to have suffered torture during joint patrols or in military bases located notably in Léré and Nampala. The organisation states their accounts were corroborated by witnesses who said they had observed acts of torture involving around thirty people.

The methods described are particularly 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 claims the acts were mainly committed by Wagner members, sometimes in the presence of Malian soldiers. Some individuals were reportedly held for days or even months without being brought before a court, without access to legal assistance or contact with their families — a practice that fuels fear and undermines community trust.

From Wagner to Africa Corps: accountability still at stake

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 under the control of the Russian Ministry of Defence.

Amnesty International is calling on Malian authorities to publicly clarify their relationship with Africa Corps and the control mechanisms applicable to its members. For the organisation, a change in structure must not translate into an absence of accountability when violations of international law are committed.

This shift occurs against the backdrop of a deep 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 strategic reorientation with far-reaching effects on foreign investment, aid flows and regional stability.

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, kidnappings and other abuses against civilian populations. This clarification matters in a complex conflict involving multiple armed actors, where civilians are often caught between different forces.

The humanitarian situation also remains worrying. According to data presented by Amnesty in its Mali overview, more than 2,036 schools were closed because of insecurity, depriving hundreds of thousands of children of access to education — a long-term blow to the country’s human capital and economic future.

The impunity question and its consequences for justice

Beyond the accusations themselves, the report raises a central question: that of justice.

Amnesty International says it submitted its findings to Malian authorities on 3 August 2026 and had received no response at the time of publication. The organisation is calling on Bamako to open “effective and impartial” investigations into the alleged crimes and, where evidence warrants, to prosecute those responsible before courts that respect 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 ICC jurisdiction: the court would retain competence over crimes within its mandate committed during the legally applicable period.

In this context, the Amnesty International report appears less as a simple inventory of abuses than as a warning about the risk of entrenched impunity — with real consequences for civilian protection and for the credibility of institutions responsible for delivering justice.

For civilian populations in Ségou, Mopti and Tombouctou, the challenge remains immediate: surviving a conflict in which the distinction between combatants and civilians is often fragile. For Malian authorities, the accusations now constitute an additional file that must be answered — in the name of protecting populations but also of the credibility of institutions tasked with rendering justice.

Behind the statistics — 34 documented deaths, dozens of detainees tortured and dozens of other alleged victims — lies a reality harder to measure: 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.

The Amnesty report thus recalls a fundamental requirement of international law: fighting 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.

By Daniel Mbami — Politics and Security