Russian paramilitaries fight alongside Malian soldiers battling multiple armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL.

Human Rights Watch has accused Russia’s government-controlled paramilitaries of killing eight civilians, including three children, in an air strike in central Mali.

In a report published on Friday, the rights watchdog alleged that the attacks by Africa Corps took place on June 15 in the village of Kyrnia, in Mali’s Mopti region.

“The junta has to impartially investigate all possible war crimes committed on their territory, including the airstrikes in Kyrnia, or be held complicit in abuses,” HRW Sahel researcher Ilaria Allegrozzi said.

Military-led Mali is battling multiple armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), and has lost large swaths of territory in recent years.

Russian paramilitaries – first from the mercenary Wagner group, and later the Kremlin-run Africa Corps – have fought alongside Malian soldiers since 2021. Their alliance, however, faces mounting reports of violence against civilians.

HRW’s report said an aircraft identified by two Malian military sources as a Sukhoi Su-24 dropped at least two munitions on Kyrnia during the June attack. One strike hit outside the village chief’s residence, killing his wife, two children and several others. A second strike hit a small cattle market, resulting in four deaths and wounding two people, it said.

At least 100 fighters from the al-Qaeda backed Jamaat Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) were in the village at the time of the strike, the report noted, adding that JNIM has controlled Kyrnia for six years.

However, no JNIM locations were hit, HRW said.

The report noted that three of the village chief’s sons are JNIM fighters and that the chief conducts business with the armed group. However, targeting civilians and those in business with JNIM is “unlawfully indiscriminate,” HRW said.

In an X post on June 23, Africa Corps said it “conducted an airstrike against a gathering place of terrorists” and that “several field commanders were eliminated”.

An accompanying drone video appeared to show the moment explosions went off in Kyrnia as people moved around.

HRW’s report also noted that the Russian Ministry of Defence has said its forces use Su-24s to strike fighters.

HRW said it remotely interviewed 19 people, including witnesses, Malian military sources and local journalists, as part of its investigation. The rights group also analysed satellite imagery and geolocated Africa Corps’ videos.

Armed-group violence across Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths in the last decade, with at least 2,260 deaths recorded between January and March of this year alone, according to the United Nations. The countries expelled France, which initially supported them, and have turned to Russia.