DAKAR, Oct 19 - Mali's armed forces and their Russian backers utilized some "apparent indiscriminate" drone strikes and other abuses as part of an ramped-up offensive against insurgents in recent months that has killed scores of civilians, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Monday.
The drone strikes and resulting civilian casualties more than doubled between April and August, compared to the same period a year ago, the report said citing ACLED data, in response to nationwide attacks by the regional al-Qaeda affiliate, known as JNIM, and by Tuareg-led separatists.
The insurgent attacks launched on April 25 killed Mali's defence minister and hit multiple towns and cities as well as the main airport in Bamako, underscoring the government's struggle to improve security in the landlocked West African country.
Mali's military leaders, who seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, have turned to Russia for support in their fight against insurgents, and they enlisted the Russian paramilitary group Africa Corps in their response to the April attacks.
The data from US-based conflict monitor ACLED showed Malian forces and Africa Corps carried out 47 drone strikes resulting in 94 civilian deaths from April-August, up from 22 strikes resulting in 44 civilian deaths a year earlier.
STRIKES HIT CATTLE MARKET, HEALTH CENTRE, REPORT SAYS
Some of the incidents in the report were "apparent indiscriminate drone strikes," including an August 19 strike on a cattle market in the Bandiagara region of central Mali that killed six men, and a pre-dawn strike on July 29 on a health centre in the northern region of Kidal, near the Algerian border, Human Rights Watch said.
The report also documented abuses that did not involve drones, including an incident on July 12 in the Segou region in which it said soldiers shot and killed five young girls they mistook for attackers.
A Malian army spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Human Rights Watch said it received no response to a letter sent on August 5 to Mali's new defence minister that detailed the group's findings.
Mali has previously denied killing civilians in counterinsurgency operations.
The Russian embassy in Bamako did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Africa Corps's involvement.
The Human Rights Watch report also documented abuses by JNIM and the Tuareg-led separatists, including the execution of 19 soldiers in the northern Gao region in July.
JNIM's Sharia Committee told HRW that the killings "did in fact take place" but denied ordering them and said "it is not our policy to do such things".
The Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front denied executing soldiers. REUTERS