Deadly Mali air strike: africa corps operations claim civilian lives

An air strike conducted by the Russian-controlled Africa Corps in central Mali on June 15, 2026, tragically resulted in the deaths of eight civilians, including three children, in what appears to be an unlawful attack. This devastating incident highlights critical concerns regarding the conduct of military operations in the West Africa Sahel region.

On that fateful morning, a Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft, identified by two Malian military sources, unleashed at least two munitions on the village of Kyrnia, located in the Mopti region. The initial munition struck near the residence of the village chief, claiming the lives of two of his children, his wife, and another child, while also injuring a woman. Moments later, a second munition hit a small livestock market approximately twenty meters away, killing four men and wounding two others. Crucially, none of the victims were identified as fighters from Islamist armed groups.

“A Russian-controlled Africa Corps aircraft perpetrated an attack that killed civilians in a Malian village, demonstrating a clear disregard for the laws of war,” stated Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior Sahel researcher. “By effectively granting Russian authorities a blank check, the Malian government must acknowledge its own accountability for atrocities committed by its allied forces.”

My investigation involved extensive telephone interviews with 19 individuals between June 24 and July 14. This included six direct witnesses, members of civil society, community leaders, Malian military sources, and local journalists. Furthermore, I meticulously analyzed satellite imagery of the strike locations, a video of the attacks posted online by Africa Corps, and photographs circulated on social media by an Islamist armed group. A letter detailing these findings and posing specific questions was sent to the Russian Minister of Defense on July 23, but no response has been received.

On June 23, Africa Corps announced via its Facebook and X accounts that it had successfully carried out an air strike on June 15 against a “gathering place for terrorist groups” in the Mopti region, claiming to have eliminated several field commanders. The group also published a video of the strikes and their aftermath. My team successfully geolocated the two strikes visible in the video to Kyrnia.

For the past six years, 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. Witnesses confirmed the presence of at least 100 GSIM fighters, including a high-ranking commander, in the village at the time of the strikes. However, these fighters were primarily gathered at the village mosque and near a shop adjacent to a small livestock market. Neither the mosque nor the shop was directly hit, though one munition impacted the livestock market. The village chief, a prosperous merchant, owns the shop where GSIM occasionally stores weapons, ammunition, fuel, and other supplies. A pickup truck, similar to those typically used by GSIM, was observed parked outside the chief’s home.

Since 2012, successive Malian governments have been engaged in a protracted conflict with Islamist armed groups. Following military coups in 2020 and 2021, junta leader General Assimi Goïta expelled French and United Nations forces, significantly strengthening ties with Russia. Since 2021, the Malian junta has increasingly relied on the support of the Russian-linked Wagner Group for security operations. This mercenary group was subsequently rebranded as Africa Corps after the passing of Wagner founder Evgeny Prigozhin in 2023, coming under direct control from Moscow. This shift has been a significant aspect of Sahel politics today.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged in June that Russian military personnel were collaborating with Malian armed forces to secure full control of 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 target GSIM fighters.

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 are no public records documenting the transfer of Su-24s to Malian authorities. These aircraft are capable of carrying a wide array of aerial munitions, including guided weapons, which are consistent with the type of damage observed in Kyrnia.

Witnesses recounted seeing a fighter jet flying low over Kyrnia, producing an ear-splitting roar. “It was a fighter jet, incredibly fast… flying low… from west to east,” a 35-year-old merchant described. “I saw it release a bomb… like a fireball… and I ran to take cover under a tree.”

A 37-year-old cattle herder stated he was sitting at the livestock market when he heard a powerful rumble, followed by an explosion. He then witnessed thick black smoke rising from homes near the chief’s house, preceding a second explosion. “The market was in chaos,” he explained, “stalls blown several meters away, cattle and sheep torn apart.” He joined other villagers and GSIM fighters, who were coordinating rescue efforts, in clearing debris from the collapsed chief’s house. “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 blast.”

Analysis of the Africa Corps video and satellite images from June 25 reveals two craters, each approximately 12 meters wide, in the southern part of Kyrnia, indicative of two large air-dropped munitions. Around nine market stalls, visible in satellite imagery from February 7, appear to have been obliterated by the second strike. The strike near 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 force of the first explosion” before realizing he was “covered in sand and debris.… [P]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 wounds the following day. A witness described how the man was hit by bomb fragments and that “[h]is arms had been shredded.”

I reviewed a list containing the names of the eight victims, which included three children aged between 1 and 10 years old, a 24-year-old woman, and four men aged 30 to 40.

Witnesses reported seeing a drone, likely operated by Malian armed forces or Africa Corps, flying over Kyrnia on June 14, 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 circled several times above the village before departing.”

Witnesses confirmed that approximately one hundred GSIM fighters were present in the village during the strikes, mostly near the mosque, about 150 meters from the impact sites. A 40-year-old man noted that some GSIM fighters near the mosque were on motorcycles. “They carried automatic weapons and wore military uniforms or boubous, their faces covered with turbans,” he explained. The merchant also stated that numerous GSIM fighters, including one of their senior commanders, were inside or outside the village chief’s shop, situated 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 significant commercial hub with a thriving livestock market.

Locals asserted that GSIM regularly purchased supplies, including fuel and food, at Kyrnia’s market. They speculated that the air strikes might have targeted the village chief’s residence because his pickup truck, similar to those used by GSIM, was parked outside. They also explained that three of the chief’s sons were GSIM fighters, though they were not in Kyrnia at the time of the attack.

The laws of war, which govern the armed conflict in Mali, strictly prohibit attacks targeting civilians and civilian objects. They forbid indiscriminate attacks that fail to distinguish between civilians and combatants, or attacks that 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. They should refrain from deploying forces in densely populated areas. The strikes in Kyrnia did not appear to target specific military objectives and would therefore constitute illegal indiscriminate attacks. The chief’s business dealings with GSIM do not render him a legitimate target for attack. My investigation uncovered no information indicating that the chief’s house was used for storing weapons or ammunition.

The Malian government bears the responsibility to thoroughly 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 by hiding behind the laws of war violations committed by its Russian allies,” concluded Ilaria Allegrozzi. “The junta must impartially investigate all potential war crimes perpetrated on its territory, including the air strikes in Kyrnia, or face complicity in these abuses.”