At least 15 civilians, including several children, were killed on Sunday in a series of drone strikes in northern Mali.
The strikes targeted the town of Tinzaouatene, where the Malian army and its Russian allies are engaged in intense clashes with separatist and jihadist forces.
The drone strikes occurred near the Algerian border, an area that has seen significant conflict between Mali’s military and Tuareg-led separatists. The separatists accused the Malian junta and Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group of carrying out the attacks, reporting a provisional death toll of 21 civilians, including 11 children.
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Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesman for the separatists, described the strikes, stating, “The initial strike targeted a pharmacy, followed by additional strikes that hit human gatherings near the initial site.”
A local politician reported to AFP that at least 15 civilians were killed, while a local NGO official and a retired official indicated that the death toll could be as high as 20.
The situation in northern Mali has been deteriorating since the military coup in 2020, led by Colonel Assimi Goita. The junta, which has distanced itself from its former colonial ally, France, in favor of Russia, has prioritized reclaiming control over territories held by separatists and jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Hostilities between the Malian government and separatist forces, which had been dormant for eight years, reignited in August 2023. The conflict escalated further when Malian and Russian forces, including Wagner mercenaries, faced a significant defeat in late July during a battle near Tinzaouatene. The separatists claimed to have killed over 130 Malian soldiers and Wagner fighters in that clash.
In response, Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow’s “firm support” for Mali, while the Malian military launched retaliatory drone strikes in the following days.
The Malian government has faced widespread allegations of human rights abuses against civilians in the north, particularly since 2022, though these accusations have been consistently denied by the authorities. In a related development, Malian authorities suspended the French news channel LCI for two months, accusing it of broadcasting “false accusations” against the army and Wagner.
