On June 15, 2026, air attacks conducted by the Russia-controlled Africa Corps in central Mali resulted in the deaths of eight civilians, including three children, in what appears to be an unlawful assault. My investigation into the incident reveals a blatant disregard for the laws of war.
That morning, an aircraft, identified by two Malian military sources as a Sukhoi Su-24, deployed at least two munitions on the village of Kyrnia in the Mopti region. 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. A second munition struck a small livestock market approximately twenty meters away, killing four men and wounding two others. Significantly, no combatants from Islamist armed groups were among the casualties.
“An Africa Corps aircraft, operating under Russian government control, killed civilians in a Malian village in clear violation of the laws of war,” stated a senior Sahel researcher. “By granting Russian authorities a blank check, the Malian government should recognize its own accountability for atrocities committed by its allied forces.”
Between June 24 and July 14, my team and I conducted 19 telephone interviews, speaking with six direct witnesses, members of civil society, community leaders, Malian military sources, and local journalists. We also meticulously analyzed satellite imagery of the strike locations, reviewed a video of the strikes posted online by Africa Corps, and examined photographs shared on social media by an Islamist armed group. On July 23, I sent a letter outlining our findings and posing several questions to the Russian Minister of Defense, but received no response.
On June 23, Africa Corps announced on its Facebook and X accounts that on June 15, it had successfully carried out an airstrike on a “terrorist gathering place” in the Mopti region, claiming to have killed several field commanders. The post included a video of the strikes and their aftermath. My team successfully geolocated the two strikes visible in the video 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 reported that at least 100 GSIM fighters, including a senior commander, were present in the village at the time of the strikes. However, they were primarily gathered at the village mosque and near a shop adjacent to a small livestock market. Neither the mosque nor the shop was hit, but a munition struck the livestock market directly. The GSIM is known to occasionally store weapons, ammunition, fuel, and other supplies in the shop, which belongs to the village chief, a prominent trader. A pickup truck, similar to those commonly used by the 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 United Nations forces, subsequently strengthening ties with Russia. Since 2021, the Malian junta has relied on assistance from the Russia-linked Wagner Group for security operations. The mercenary group was later rebranded as Africa Corps after the death of Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023, coming under direct control from Moscow.
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 confirmed its forces were utilizing Su-24 aircraft to strike GSIM combatants.
Media reports 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 is no public record of these Su-24s being officially transferred to Malian authorities. These aircraft are capable of carrying a wide array of aerial munitions, including guided weapons, which is consistent with the damage observed in Kyrnia.
Witnesses recounted seeing a fighter jet flying low over Kyrnia, emitting a deafening roar. “It was a fighter jet, very fast… it flew low… from west to east,” a 35-year-old merchant described. “I saw it drop a bomb… like a fireball… and I ran to take shelter under a tree.”
A 37-year-old cattle herder described sitting at the livestock market when he heard a loud rumble, followed by an explosion. He saw thick black smoke rising from the dwellings near the chief’s house, then heard a second explosion. “The market was in chaos,” he said, “stalls blown several meters away, cattle and sheep torn to pieces.” 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 explained. “Then [we found] the [bodies of the] two children… and another boy who had been thrown onto the roof by the explosion.”
My analysis of the Africa Corps video and satellite imagery from June 25 reveals two craters in the southern part of Kyrnia, each approximately 12 meters wide, indicating the deployment of two large air-dropped munitions. Around nine market stalls, visible in satellite images from February 7, appear to have been destroyed 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 “blown [to the ground] by the blast of the first explosion” before realizing he was “covered in sand and debris… [D]eople 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 injured 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 “his arms had been shredded.”
I examined a list containing the names of the eight victims, which included 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 PM,” 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 at 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 were wearing military uniforms or boubous, their faces covered with turbans,” he explained. The merchant also stated that many GSIM fighters, including one of their senior commanders, were inside or outside the village chief’s shop, located next to the livestock market struck by the second munition.
The airstrikes occurred on a market day, when Kyrnia was bustling with traders, buyers, and villagers. Residents indicated that since the GSIM took control of the area, Kyrnia has become a significant commercial hub with a large livestock market.
Inhabitants affirmed that the GSIM purchased supplies, including fuel and food, at 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 the 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, which govern the armed conflict in Mali, prohibit attacks that target civilians and civilian property, fail to distinguish between civilians and combatants, or are likely to cause disproportionate harm to civilians or civilian property 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 therefore constitute illegal indiscriminate attacks. The fact that the village chief conducted business with the GSIM does not render him a legitimate target for attack. My investigation found no information indicating that the chief’s house was used to store weapons or ammunition.
The Malian government bears the obligation to investigate this incident and hold accountable those responsible for violations of the laws of war, including members of Africa Corps. This is crucial for stability in West Africa and for the future of Sahel politics.
“The Malian government cannot hide behind the laws of war violations committed by its Russian allies,” concluded the senior Sahel researcher. “The junta must impartially investigate all potential war crimes perpetrated on its territory, including the Kyrnia airstrikes, or risk being considered complicit in these abuses.”
