Africa
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH ACCUSES MALI’S MILITARY AND RUSSIAN ALLIES OF DEADLY DRONE STRIKES AS CIVILIAN TOLL RISES DURING COUNTERINSURGENCY CAMPAIGN
Human Rights Watch has accused Mali’s armed forces and their Russian Africa Corps allies of carrying out apparently indiscriminate drone strikes and other abuses during an intensified counterinsurgency campaign in central and northern Mali. Reuters reported that ACLED data showed 47 drone strikes killed 94 civilians between April and August 2026, more than double the 22 strikes and 44 civilian deaths recorded during the same period in 2025. HRW documented attacks on a cattle market and a health facility, as well as the alleged killing of five girls by Malian soldiers. The organisation also accused JNIM and Tuareg-led separatists of serious abuses, including the torture and execution of captured soldiers.
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