As central Mali sinks deeper into a spiral of unchecked violence, the National Human Rights Commission’s (CNDH) response to the recent attacks on Ningari and Saredina has cast a harsh light on the structural weaknesses in the transitional government’s security strategy.
The pattern has become tragically familiar: villages attacked, defenseless civilians executed, homes set ablaze, followed by the inevitable wave of official statements expressing outrage and sympathy. The latest atrocities in the Bandiagara area, specifically in Ningari and Saredina, underscore a grim reality that official rhetoric tries to hide: despite bold claims about the growing strength of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), the daily protection of citizens remains a glaring failure.
The illusion of territorial control and the neglect of civilians
The CNDH’s statement, signed by its interim president, lawyer Aissata Foune Tembely, serves as a stark wake-up call to the authorities in Bamako. By stressing that the safety of people and property is the state’s “primary sovereign duty,” the CNDH effectively exposes administrative and military shortcomings on the ground.
In the Dogon country, the security vacuum left by the absence or ineffectiveness of continuous state presence leaves communities at the mercy of armed terrorist groups. While public discourse focuses on national sovereignty and controlling the narrative, the fundamental social contract between the state and its citizens in the central region has been broken. Sovereignty cannot be measured by the firmness of speeches in Bamako, but by the real ability to protect the life of a farmer or trader in Ningari.
Institutionalized impunity and the rhetoric of futile investigations
As with every tragedy, the CNDH calls for “independent and impartial” investigations to bring those responsible to justice. But how credible are these calls when the judicial system is effectively paralyzed in conflict zones?
The accumulation of massacres without any significant trials to assign responsibility fuels a devastating sense of impunity. In the absence of concrete prosecutions, demands for investigations increasingly resemble a bureaucratic ritual meant to fill an institutional void. This absent justice destroys people’s trust in the state and inevitably pushes communities toward self-defense or opportunistic alliances, further fragmenting the social fabric.
The trap of a military-only approach and humanitarian law violations
By urging the FAMa to strictly respect International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the CNDH also highlights the dangers of a purely military strategy without safeguards. In their pursuit of terrorist groups, security forces and their auxiliaries are frequently accused by civil society of indiscriminate actions and abuses against local populations.
This approach, which prioritizes body counts and media-friendly operations over lasting community security, produces the opposite of the intended effect. Each blunder or summary execution becomes a powerful recruitment tool for extremist groups. By reminding that the fight against terrorism cannot be waged without respecting human rights, the CNDH warns: a military victory achieved at the expense of the law is an illusion that sows the seeds of future revolts.
The CNDH’s warning is clear. If the transitional authorities continue to prioritize political posturing and security communications over real, impartial, and judicial protection of citizens, Mali risks losing far more than territory—it risks losing the very legitimacy of its state.