An Africa Corps airstrike, operating under Russian government control, tragically claimed the lives of eight civilians, including three children, during an attack on June 15, 2026, in central Mali. This incident in Kyrnia village, Mopti region, appears to be a clear violation of international law.
On that fateful morning, a Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft, identified by two Malian military sources, unleashed at least two munitions on Kyrnia. The initial blast struck near the village chief’s residence, resulting in the deaths of two of his children, his wife, and another child, while injuring one woman. Moments later, a second munition hit a small livestock market approximately twenty meters away, killing four men and wounding two others. Notably, no armed Islamist group combatants were among those killed in these strikes.
“An Africa Corps aircraft, under the command of the Russian government, caused civilian fatalities in a Malian village, demonstrating a blatant disregard for the laws of war,” stated Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior Sahel researcher. “By granting Russian authorities carte blanche, the Malian government must acknowledge its own accountability for atrocities perpetrated by its allied forces.”
My investigation involved extensive phone interviews conducted between June 24 and July 14, speaking with 19 individuals. These included six direct witnesses, civil society representatives, community leaders, Malian military sources, and local journalists. Furthermore, I meticulously analyzed satellite imagery of the strike locations, reviewed an Africa Corps video of the strikes posted online, and examined photographs shared on social media by an Islamist armed group. On July 23, a letter detailing these findings and posing specific questions was sent to the Russian Minister of Defense; no response has been received.
On June 23, Africa Corps announced on its official Facebook and X accounts that it had successfully executed an airstrike on June 15 against a “gathering point for terrorist groups” in the Mopti region, claiming to have eliminated several field commanders. They also released a video of the strikes and their aftermath. My team successfully geolocated the two strikes visible in that 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 confirmed that at least 100 GSIM fighters, including a senior commander, were present in the village during the attacks. 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 a munition did strike the livestock market. GSIM reportedly stores weapons, ammunition, fuel, and other supplies in the chief’s shop, who is a prominent local merchant. A pickup truck, consistent with vehicles typically used by GSIM, was parked outside the chief’s home.
Since 2012, successive Malian governments have been engaged in conflict with Islamist armed groups. Following military coups in 2020 and 2021, the junta leader, General Assimi Goïta, expelled French and UN forces, subsequently strengthening ties with Russia. Since 2021, the junta has increasingly relied on the Russia-linked Wagner group for security assistance. This mercenary group was rebranded as Africa Corps after the death of Wagner founder Evgeny Prigozhin in 2023, coming under direct control from Moscow.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged in June that Russian military personnel are working alongside Malian armed forces to ensure full territorial control across Mali, particularly after GSIM attacks on April 25. The Russian Ministry of Defense has also stated that its forces utilize Su-24 aircraft to target GSIM combatants, a key detail in current Mali security news.
Media reports and satellite imagery indicate that Africa Corps has been deploying Su-24 aircraft in Mali since at least April 2025, providing crucial air support to the Malian army. There are no public records documenting the transfer of Su-24s to Malian authorities. These aircraft are capable of carrying a diverse range of aerial munitions, including guided weapons, which align with the type of damage observed in Kyrnia.
Witnesses recounted seeing a fighter jet flying low over Kyrnia, emitting a deafening roar. “It was a fighter jet, incredibly fast… flying 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 recalled being 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 recounted, “stalls blown several meters away, cattle and sheep torn apart.” He joined other villagers, including GSIM fighters 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 explained. “Then [we found] the [bodies of the] two children… and another boy who had been thrown onto the roof by the blast.”
My analysis of the Africa Corps video and satellite imagery from June 25 reveals two distinct 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, clearly visible in satellite images 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 described being “thrown [to the ground] by the force 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” who were hit “while 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 explained that the man had been hit by bomb fragments and that “[h]is arms had been shredded.”
I have reviewed a list containing the names of the eight victims, which includes three children aged between 1 and 10 years, a 24-year-old woman, and four men aged 30 to 40 years.
Witnesses reported that on June 14, a drone, likely operated by Malian armed forces or Africa Corps, was seen circling 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 recounted. “It made several passes over the village before leaving.”
Witnesses confirmed that approximately one hundred GSIM fighters were present in the village during the strikes, with most located at the mosque, about 150 meters from the impact sites. A 40-year-old man noted that some GSIM fighters at the mosque were on motorcycles. “They carried automatic weapons and wore military uniforms or boubous, their faces covered with turbans,” he detailed. The trader also mentioned that numerous GSIM combatants, including a senior commander, were inside or outside the village chief’s shop, situated next to the livestock market targeted by the second munition.
The airstrikes occurred on a market day, when Kyrnia was bustling with traders, shoppers, and local villagers. Residents indicated that since GSIM gained control of the area, Kyrnia has emerged as a significant commercial hub with a thriving livestock market.
Locals asserted that GSIM regularly purchased supplies, including fuel and food, from Kyrnia’s market. They speculated that the airstrikes might have targeted the village chief’s residence due to his pickup truck, which resembled those used by GSIM, being 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 that intentionally target civilians or civilian property, fail to distinguish between civilians and combatants, or are expected 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 avoid deploying forces in densely populated areas. The strikes in Kyrnia did not appear to target specific military objectives and therefore would constitute illegal indiscriminate attacks. The fact that the village chief conducted business with GSIM does not render him a legitimate target for attack. My investigation found no evidence indicating that the chief’s house was being used to store 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. This is crucial for maintaining security and justice in Mali.
“The Malian government cannot evade responsibility by hiding behind the violations of the laws of war committed by its Russian allies,” concluded Ilaria Allegrozzi. “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.”
