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Russian Forces and Mali’s Military Accused of Indiscriminate Drone Strikes That Killed Scores of Civilians
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Dozens of civilians have reportedly been killed in Mali by drone strikes conducted by the country’s armed forces and Russian Africa Corps personnel supporting the military junta’s operations against insurgent groups.
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According to Reuters on October 19, citing a Human Rights Watch report, some of the drone attacks carried out by Malian and Russian forces were apparently indiscriminate. The number of strikes and resulting civilian casualties increased sharply between April and August compared with the same period in 2025.
The military campaign is aimed at countering attacks by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group, and Tuareg-led separatists. Mali’s military leadership, which came to power through coups in 2020 and 2021, has sought Russian support in its efforts to combat the insurgency.
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According to conflict monitoring data, Malian troops and Russia’s Africa Corps conducted 47 drone strikes between April and August, resulting in 94 civilian deaths.
Among the reported incidents was an August 19 drone strike on a livestock market in the Bandiagara region that killed six men. Another attack on July 29 targeted a medical facility in the northern Kidal region.
The reported civilian casualties come amid growing scrutiny of Russia’s military activities in Africa, including the transportation of equipment and personnel to support its operations on the continent.
A separate joint investigation published on October 19 by the Dossier Center, Follow the Money, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Danwatch, and Delfi revealed that Russia has reportedly been using civilian cargo ships to transport military equipment and suspected covert intelligence operatives to Africa.
Investigators identified 28 individuals believed to have traveled under fabricated identities aboard seven Russian cargo vessels carrying military supplies primarily intended for Africa Corps, a Russian Defense Ministry-controlled formation that replaced the Wagner mercenary group.
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