On June 15, 2026, the Russian government-controlled Africa Corps conducted aerial bombardments in central Mali, resulting in the deaths of eight civilians, including three children, in what appears to be an unlawful attack. These strikes targeted the village of Kyrnia in the Mopti region.
That morning, an aircraft identified by two Malian military sources as a Sukhoi Su-24 released at least two munitions on Kyrnia. The initial strike landed near the residence of the village chief, claiming the lives of two of his children, his wife, and another child, while injuring one woman. The second munition hit a small livestock market approximately twenty meters away, killing four men and wounding two others. No fighters from Islamist armed groups were among the casualties.
An Africa Corps aircraft, operating under Russian government control, killed civilians in a Malian village, demonstrating a clear disregard for the laws of war. By offering a blank check to Russian authorities, the Malian government must recognize its own responsibility for atrocities committed by its allied forces.
My investigation, conducted via telephone between June 24 and July 14, involved interviews with 19 individuals, including 6 direct witnesses, members of civil society, community leaders, Malian military sources, and local journalists. Satellite images of the strike locations were also analyzed, along with a video of the strikes posted online by Africa Corps and photographs shared on social media by an Islamist armed group. On July 23, a letter detailing these findings and posing several questions was sent to the Russian Minister of Defense; no response has yet been received.
On June 23, Africa Corps declared on its Facebook and X accounts that on June 15, it had successfully executed an airstrike on a “gathering point for terrorist groups” in the Mopti region, eliminating several field commanders. The post included a video of the strikes and their aftermath. The two strikes visible in that video were geolocated to Kyrnia.
The Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM or Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, JNIM) has maintained control over Kyrnia for the past six years. Witnesses confirmed that at least 100 GSIM fighters, including a senior commander, were present in the village during the strikes. However, these fighters were primarily gathered at the village mosque and in front of a shop near a small livestock market. While neither the mosque nor the shop was hit, one munition struck the livestock market. GSIM occasionally stores weapons, ammunition, fuel, and other supplies in the shop, which belongs to the wealthy village chief. A pickup truck, similar to those typically used by GSIM, was parked in front of the chief’s house.
Since 2012, successive Malian governments have been engaged in conflict with Islamist armed groups. Following military coups in 2020 and 2021, junta leader General Assimi Goïta expelled French and UN forces, strengthening ties with Russia. Since 2021, the junta has relied on assistance from the Russia-linked Wagner group for security. This mercenary group was rebranded as Africa Corps after the death of Wagner founder Evgueni Prigojine in 2023 and subsequently came under direct Moscow control.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged in June that Russian military personnel were collaborating with Malian armed forces to establish full control over Malian territory following GSIM attacks across the country on April 25. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that its forces were utilizing Su-24 aircraft to engage GSIM fighters.
Reports from various media and satellite imagery indicate that Africa Corps has been deploying Su-24 aircraft in Mali since at least April 2025 to support the Malian army. There are no public records detailing the transfer of Su-24s to Malian authorities. These aircraft are capable of carrying a wide array of aerial munitions, including guided weapons, which align with the type of damage observed from the munitions that struck Kyrnia.
Witnesses recounted seeing a fighter jet flying low over Kyrnia, producing a deafening roar. “It was a fighter jet, very fast… it flew low… from west to east,” described a 35-year-old trader. “I saw it drop a bomb… like a fireball… and I ran to take cover under a tree.”
A 37-year-old cattle herder stated that he was sitting at the livestock market when he heard a loud rumble, followed by an explosion. He then saw thick black smoke rising from homes near the chief’s house, preceding a second explosion. “The market was in disarray,” he explained, “stalls scattered for several meters, oxen and sheep torn apart.” He assisted other residents in clearing debris from the collapsed chief’s house, while GSIM fighters coordinated rescue efforts. “The chief’s second wife was dead, and she had lost… her arms,” he recounted. “Then [we found] the [bodies of the] two children… and another boy who had been thrown onto the roof by the explosion.”
Analysis of the Africa Corps video and satellite images from June 25 reveals two craters in the southern part of Kyrnia, each approximately 12 meters wide, indicating the deployment of two large aerial munitions. Around nine market stalls, visible in satellite images from February 7, appear to have been obliterated by the second strike. The strike outside the chief’s residence landed between structures, causing at least one building to collapse.
A 48-year-old camel herder recounted being “thrown [to the ground] by the blast of the first explosion” before realizing he was “covered in sand and debris… [S]ome people in front of me were injured, some had broken arms.”
A 40-year-old man identified “the bodies of three merchants,” struck “as they were traveling on a tricycle loaded with bags of dates” through the livestock market.
The second strike wounded three men, one of whom succumbed to his injuries the following day. A witness explained that the man had been hit by bomb fragments and that “[h]is arms had been shredded.”
A list detailing the names of the eight victims was reviewed, including three children aged 1 to 10, a 24-year-old woman, and four men aged 30 to 40.
Witnesses reported that on June 14, a drone, presumably operated by Malian armed forces or Africa Corps, flew over Kyrnia, suggesting the village was under surveillance. “I saw a drone in the sky the day before, between 4 and 5 p.m.,” the camel herder described. “It made several passes over the village before leaving.”
Witnesses stated that approximately one hundred GSIM fighters were in the village at the time of the strikes, most of them near the mosque, about 150 meters from the impact sites. A 40-year-old man indicated that some GSIM fighters at the mosque were on motorcycles. “They had automatic weapons and wore military uniforms or boubous, their faces covered with turbans,” he explained. The trader also reported that numerous GSIM fighters, including a senior commander, were inside or outside the village chief’s shop, located next to the livestock market hit by the second munition.
The strikes occurred on a market day when Kyrnia was bustling with traders, buyers, and villagers. Residents indicated that since GSIM took control of the area, Kyrnia has become a commercial hub with a significant livestock market.
Locals asserted that GSIM purchased supplies, including fuel and food, from Kyrnia’s market. They speculated that the airstrikes might have targeted the village chief’s residence because his pickup truck, similar to those used by GSIM, was parked in front. They also explained that three of the chief’s sons were GSIM fighters, but they were not in Kyrnia at the time of the attack.
The laws of war, applicable to the armed conflict in Mali, prohibit attacks that target civilians and civilian objects, fail to distinguish between civilians and combatants, or are likely to cause disproportionate harm to civilians or civilian objects compared to any anticipated military advantage.
Belligerent parties conducting attacks are obligated to take all feasible precautions to minimize civilian casualties. Parties should refrain from deploying in densely populated areas. The strikes in Kyrnia did not appear to target specific military objectives and would thus constitute unlawful indiscriminate attacks. The fact that the village chief conducted business with GSIM does not render him a legitimate target for attack. No information was discovered indicating that the chief’s house was used to store weapons or ammunition.
The Malian government bears the responsibility to investigate this incident and hold those accountable for violations of the laws of war, including members of Africa Corps.
The Malian government cannot evade responsibility for violations of the laws of war committed by its Russian allies. The junta must impartially investigate all potential war crimes perpetrated on its territory, including the airstrikes in Kyrnia, or risk being deemed complicit in these abuses.