Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Russia’s government-controlled paramilitaries, known as the Africa Corps, of killing eight civilians, including three children, in an air strike in central Mali on June 15. The report, published on Friday, alleged the attack occurred in the village of Kyrnia, located in Mali’s Mopti region.

This accusation comes as Mali’s military government continues to battle multiple armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). Russian paramilitaries, initially operating as the Wagner group and now as the Africa Corps, have been fighting alongside Malian soldiers since 2021. However, their presence has been increasingly associated with reports of violence against civilians.

According to HRW’s findings, two Malian military sources identified the aircraft involved as a Sukhoi Su-24, which dropped at least two munitions on Kyrnia. One strike reportedly hit near the village chief’s residence, killing his wife and two children, along with other individuals. A second strike targeted a small cattle market, resulting in four deaths and two injuries. HRW stated that while at least 100 fighters from the al-Qaeda-backed Jamaat Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) were present in the village, no JNIM locations were directly hit.

The implications of this report are significant, potentially increasing international scrutiny on the conduct of Russian forces in Mali and raising further questions about accountability. The Malian junta has been urged by HRW to impartially investigate all possible war crimes occurring on its territory, warning that failure to do so could render the government complicit in abuses.

HRW noted that three of the village chief’s sons are JNIM fighters, and the chief conducts business with the armed group. Despite these connections, the targeting of civilians and individuals engaged in business with JNIM is deemed "unlawfully indiscriminate" by the rights group. This assertion suggests that the military justification for the strike, if one was provided, does not align with international humanitarian law concerning civilian protection.

Africa Corps itself claimed on X (formerly Twitter) on June 23 that it had "conducted an airstrike against a gathering place of terrorists" and that "several field commanders were eliminated." An accompanying drone video allegedly showed explosions in Kyrnia. The Russian Ministry of Defence has previously stated that its forces use Su-24 aircraft for strikes against fighters, a claim that HRW’s report appears to investigate in relation to this incident.

Human Rights Watch conducted its investigation by remotely interviewing 19 individuals, including witnesses, Malian military sources, and local journalists. The group also utilized satellite imagery analysis and geolocated Africa Corps’ videos to corroborate its findings. This methodology underscores the effort to build a robust case based on multiple sources of evidence.

The broader context of armed-group violence across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger has led to thousands of civilian deaths over the past decade, with at least 2,260 recorded deaths attributed to such violence. The HRW report on the Kyrnia incident adds to the growing body of evidence detailing the severe human cost of the ongoing conflicts and the actions of external paramilitary forces operating within these nations.