The non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch has accused the Russian paramilitary group Africa Corps of carrying out an airstrike in the village of Kyrnia, located in Mali’s Mopti region, which resulted in the deaths of eight civilians—including three children.
The attack occurred on June 15, with Human Rights Watch asserting that the strike targeted neither a military objective nor a combatant stronghold. The organisation has called for an independent investigation to determine accountability and establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident. Neither the Malian nor Russian authorities have issued any public response to these allegations.
Operation allegedly targeting armed groups
Human Rights Watch released a detailed report stating that a combat aircraft—identified by two Malian military sources as a Sukhoi Su-24—dropped at least two bombs during the raid. The first struck near the village chief’s residence, killing his wife, two of his children, and another child. The second bomb hit a livestock market, where four men were killed.
The organisation concluded that the strikes were indiscriminate, as no identifiable military targets were present in the area. Africa Corps, however, has claimed responsibility for an operation targeting a gathering of “terrorist groups” in the Mopti region. The group released aerial footage on social media platforms, which Human Rights Watch has geolocated to Kyrnia. Despite these assertions, the organisation found no evidence that members of the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM)—an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group reportedly active in the village for years—were killed in the attack.
Local accounts raise further questions
Residents interviewed by Human Rights Watch confirmed that three of the village chief’s sons are affiliated with JNIM but were absent during the strike. They also noted that armed fighters were present in the village, primarily gathered in a mosque that remained unscathed. The organisation has urged Malian authorities to launch a formal inquiry and hold those responsible to account.
This incident is not isolated. Human Rights Watch reports that in 2025 alone, 918 civilians were killed in operations involving Malian forces and their Russian allies, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) project. Previous calls for investigations into potential war crimes have also been made by the United Nations and Amnesty International, targeting both JNIM and the Front de Libération de l’Azawad (FLA).