According to a report from Human Rights Watch (HRW), both Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants and ethnically-based armed groups are engaging in egregious acts in Mali. HRW disclosed that in January, fighters associated with Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM) and the Dozo militia were responsible for the deaths of 45 individuals in separate attacks on villages in Central Mali. Mali has been grappling with the presence of such groups since 2015, and last year, its transitional government expelled a UN peacekeeping mission.
On January 6, a Dozo armed group, primarily comprising members of the Bambara ethnic group, attacked the predominantly Fulani village of Kalala, resulting in 13 fatalities and the abduction of 24 civilians. JNIM fighters, largely of Fulani descent, launched assaults on the villages of Ogota and Ouembe on January 27, claiming the lives of at least 32 people, including three children, while also setting ablaze over 350 homes and displacing 2,000 individuals.
HRW stressed that these attacks, occurring amidst ongoing cycles of retaliation and communal violence in central Mali, constitute violations of international humanitarian law and apparent war crimes. Ilaria Allegrozzi, HRW’s senior Sahel researcher, urged authorities to intervene to put an end to the deadly cycles of violence and reprisal attacks, while also providing enhanced protection for vulnerable civilians.
Mali’s ongoing security challenges have been exacerbated by the presence of groups aligned with Al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) since 2015, which have seized territory and rendered large swathes of the country ungovernable. Despite a military government taking power in 2021 with promises to address insecurity, attacks continue unabated, with the military itself facing accusations of human rights abuses. Mali, along with its neighboring countries Burkina Faso and Niger, all led by military governments, have turned to alternative security alliances after the expulsion of French forces, including seeking assistance from Russian mercenary units.