Civilians killed in Bandiagara: rights body urges Mali to uphold its duties

As central Mali sinks deeper into a spiral of unchecked violence, the statement from the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) following the attacks on Ningari and Sarédina exposes the structural weaknesses in the transitional government’s security approach.

The pattern has become tragically familiar: villages are raided, unarmed civilians are executed, homes are set ablaze, and then come the inevitable official statements expressing outrage and sympathy. The recent atrocities in the Bandiagara circle, specifically in the communities of Ningari and Sarédina, underscore a harsh reality that official rhetoric tries to hide: despite triumphant claims about the growing strength of the Malian armed forces (FAMa), the day-to-day protection of citizens remains a glaring failure.

The illusion of territorial control and the abandonment of civilians

The CNDH’s statement, signed by its acting president, Me Aissata Founè Tembely, serves as a stark reminder to the authorities in Bamako. By stressing that the safety of people and property is the state’s ‘primary sovereign duty,’ the CNDH essentially highlights administrative and military shortcomings on the ground.

In the Dogon country, the security vacuum left by the absence or ineffectiveness of permanent state forces leaves residents at the mercy of armed extremist groups. While public discourse focuses on national sovereignty and managing the narrative, the fundamental social contract between the state and its citizens in the central region has been broken. Sovereignty should not be measured by the firmness of speeches in Bamako, but by the real ability to protect the life of a farmer or a trader in Ningari.

Institutionalised impunity and the rhetoric of futile investigations

As with every tragedy, the CNDH is calling for ‘independent and impartial’ investigations to bring those responsible to justice. But how credible are these appeals when the judicial system is effectively stalled in conflict zones?

The accumulation of massacres without any major trial to assign responsibility fuels a devastating sense of impunity. Without concrete prosecutions, demands for investigations begin to look like a bureaucratic ritual meant to fill an institutional void. This absent justice erodes public trust in the state and inevitably pushes communities towards self-defence or opportunistic alliances, further fragmenting the social fabric.

The trap of a purely military approach and breaches of humanitarian law

By urging the FAMa to strictly adhere to International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the CNDH also highlights the dangers of a purely military strategy without safeguards. In their pursuit of extremist groups, security forces and their auxiliaries are frequently accused by civil society of indiscriminate actions and abuses against local populations.

This approach, which prioritises body counts and public relations victories 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 ignore human rights, the CNDH warns: a military victory achieved at the expense of the law is an illusion that sows the seeds of future unrest.

The CNDH’s warning is clear. If the transitional authorities continue to favour political posturing and security-driven communication over genuine, impartial, and judicial protection of its citizens, Mali risks losing far more than territory: it will lose the very legitimacy of its state.