The Mali government insists its armed forces are growing stronger and reclaiming control of the nation’s territory. But the opening of a military tribunal session in Sévaré on October 19, 2026, shatters that narrative. With 72 defendants—69 of them soldiers—facing 43 cases ranging from arms trafficking to desertion and even violent crimes, the proceedings reveal an institution crippled by systemic failures from within.
Stolen state weapons fuel terrorist groups
Among the most damning revelations is the mishandling of military hardware. Nearly half the cases involve the loss, theft, or illegal sale of weapons, ammunition, and magazines. Beneath the legal jargon lies a grim security reality: a significant portion of the army’s official arsenal ends up in the hands of Mali’s enemies.
In the central and northern conflict zones, equipment diverted through negligence, corruption, or active collusion reaches fighters of the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS). While Bamako frequently condemns alleged foreign support for terrorist groups, the Sévaré tribunal exposes a toxic supply chain thriving within Mali’s own barracks and ammunition depots. The irony is bitter—Mali’s soldiers often fall to bullets paid for by their own national budget.
Desertions and abuses: a force under strain
Desertion cases, identified by military prosecutors as the second most common offense, highlight a deep moral collapse within the ranks. The surge in unauthorized absences and abandonments of post reveals a breakdown in discipline that no rhetoric about “sacrifice” can conceal. Despite repeated calls for reintegration and ultimatums from command, the trend persists, thinning the army’s presence on the ground.
Even more alarming are the charges of murder, torture, kidnapping, and sexual violence leveled against soldiers. These atrocities against civilians validate long-standing warnings from human rights organizations. By alienating local communities, such abuses sever the army’s most critical intelligence source and play directly into insurgent propaganda, which portrays these groups as protectors against state brutality.
A justice system on the brink
The very act of holding this military court in Mopti underscores the chronic weaknesses of Mali’s military justice system. While officials frame the session as a display of transparency, it instead exposes a system struggling under the weight of delays, insecurity, and a shortage of judges. The prosecution cites security threats, limited personnel, and geographic isolation as reasons for infrequent hearings, but the result is a backlog of prolonged pretrial detentions. The Mali Bar Association has condemned these excessive delays, with some defendants languishing in prison for years without trial.
A call for accountability at the top
For Colonel Assimi Goïta and the high command, the Sévaré trials must not be treated as a mere routine cleanup or a public relations exercise. They represent a stark warning: no military strategy can succeed if weapons leak to the enemy, if discipline crumbles on the front lines, and if justice operates sporadically. Before demanding blind trust from the public, Mali’s defense apparatus must first confront its own failures and plug the leaks draining its strength.
