HRW reports 94 civilian deaths from drone strikes in Mali — TimesLIVE
Human Rights Watch said that Mali’s armed forces and the Russian paramilitary group Africa Corps used drone strikes during an intensified operation against insurgents that may have been indiscriminate. According to TimesLIVE, the organization links these attacks and other violations to the deaths of dozens of civilians.
The death toll more than doubled
The monitoring organization Acled recorded 47 drone strikes carried out by Malian forces and Africa Corps between April and August. These strikes killed 94 civilians. During the same period a year earlier, Acled counted 22 strikes and 44 civilian deaths.
According to Human Rights Watch, the intensification of operations was a response to attacks across the country carried out since April 25 by the regional Al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM and Tuareg-led separatists. These attacks resulted in the death of Mali’s defense minister and affected cities, other settlements, and the main airport in Bamako.
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Strikes on a market and a medical facility
Human Rights Watch described two drone strikes as likely indiscriminate, among others. On August 19, a strike on a livestock market in the Bandiagara region of central Mali killed six men. Another strike occurred before dawn on July 29 at a medical center in the northern Kidal region, near the border with Algeria.
The report also mentioned an incident on July 12 in the Segou region, when, according to the rights group, military personnel shot five girls after mistaking them for attackers. A representative of Mali’s army did not respond to a request for comment, while Human Rights Watch reported receiving no response to a letter sent to the country’s new defense minister.
The organization also documented violations by JNIM and Tuareg separatists, including the execution of 19 soldiers in July in the northern Gao region. JNIM’s sharia committee acknowledged that the killings occurred but denied ordering them. The Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front also denied involvement in the executions of the soldiers.
