Mali civilians killed by army, Russian force, sources say

Security and local sources told AFP on Tuesday that Malian soldiers and Russian paramilitaries executed at least 10 civilians over the weekend in central Mali, with bodies placed in sacks and dumped in water.

Sources contacted by AFP gave a toll of between 10 and 11 dead in the Ke-Macina area of the central Segou region.

A resident said 11 civilians were executed on Sunday by an army detachment that had come to the area for a troop rotation. The uncle of one victim said 10 young men were arrested after being suspected of passing information to jihadists.

The uncle said Malian soldiers and Russians arrested the young men before killing them, citing an account from a young man who escaped. A local official also accused the Malian armed forces and Africa Corps of responsibility, saying bodies were put in sacks and dumped in a river.

Another local official said 11 bodies were found in sacks in a stream after local authorities appealed to the gendarmerie and the military. A security source told AFP the victims' throats had been slit.

Mali's junta, which took power after coups in 2020 and 2021, has moved closer to Russia. Africa Corps paramilitaries are assisting Mali in its fight against jihadists. Human rights organisations have repeatedly accused the Malian army and Africa Corps of killing civilians during operations in Mali.

Mali has faced a security crisis since 2012 involving jihadist groups, criminal gangs and armed separatists. Since late April 2026, the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims and Tuareg separatist allies have carried out attacks aimed at weakening the junta.