Drones over the camps: rights group documents at least 49 civilian deaths in northern and central Mali in October

At least 49 civilians were killed in Mali in October 2026 in air and drone strikes, according to Kal-Akal, a human rights association based in the Kidal region. The group attributes most of the strikes to the Malian army and Russia’s Africa Corps. It says the real toll may be higher.

Kal-Akal released its tenth monthly report on Sunday, 1 November. The report covers incidents in the Kidal, Timbuktu, Gao, Ménaka, Sikasso and Mopti regions, based on information gathered by a network of local correspondents.

The count excludes reports of more than fifty civilians killed near Ménaka on 19 October. That attack was blamed on fighters loyal to the Islamic State group. Kal-Akal says it has not yet been able to verify that toll independently.

A nomad camp hit

The deadliest incident came on the night of 25–26 October. A drone strike hit a nomad camp at Hassi Lagdaph, near Léré in the Timbuktu region, close to the Mauritanian border. According to the association, 13 civilians were killed, including six children aged 2 to 15 and two women.

Strikes along the Algerian border

Tinzawatène and Talahandak, on the border with Algeria, were struck repeatedly. On the night of 20 October, Bayraktar Akıncı drones reportedly killed 15 gold miners, most of them Chadian, along with Nigerien nationals. Three days later, Iranian-made Shahed drones hit the trading village of Talahandak. The strikes reportedly killed five people and caused heavy damage to shops.

On 5 October, a drone destroyed a civilian car between Akhrarabane and Intayara, killing four people. Three of them were Hausa migrants from Niger. The bombardment drove families, mostly women and children, toward the border. At some points, these areas lie only about 300 metres from an Algerian settlement.

From Tessalit to Sikasso

The report lists further strikes:

• four dead in Inafaraq on 10 October, where a fuel depot was set ablaze;
• two dead in Timtaghine;
• two dead in Zouera;
• one dead in Razelma.

In the south, a Malian fighter jet reportedly bombed the village of Tibéri in the Sikasso region on 4 October. The strike killed three civilians, including two children and a woman.

In Tessalit, a deaf and mute man named Zeïdan suffered serious head injuries. A house collapsed on him during strikes on the night of 3–4 October.

Abductions and seized livestock

Kal-Akal says Malian soldiers and Africa Corps personnel abducted two Haratine herders at Aghilhek, near Kidal, on 25 October. They also took a large number of livestock. The group further reports a military helicopter firing on a civilian’s water tank near Kidal on 15 October, and strikes on civilian vehicles and a truck.

No case of rape or sexual violence was confirmed. The report cautions, however, that fear of reprisals and the lack of safe reporting channels may keep victims from coming forward.

Livelihoods under attack

The report warns that several kinds of damage are eroding the livelihoods of pastoral communities already facing food insecurity: strikes on markets, repair workshops, fuel depots and water supplies, along with livestock theft.

Kal-Akal is calling for independent and impartial investigations, accountability for those responsible and safe humanitarian access. It notes that international humanitarian law prohibits attacks directed at civilians and indiscriminate strikes.

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