A drone strike on the village of Tinzaouatine near Mali’s border with Algeria killed at least 21 civilians, including 11 children, on Sunday, August 25, 2024. The airstrike, confirmed by Malian military officials, targeted a local pharmacy and gatherings of people in the vicinity, according to sources on the ground.
The Malian military, with the assistance of Russian Wagner mercenaries, claimed the strike was aimed at eliminating terrorist elements in the region. However, local leaders and the Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA), a coalition of Tuareg-majority rebel groups, dispute this account, asserting that the drone strike primarily targeted civilians.
According to a statement by CSP-DPA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, 21 civilians, including 11 children and the village pharmacy manager, were killed. Ramadane reported that the strikes inflicted significant damage on civilians, including women and children. The group denounced the attack as unlawful and demanded an international investigation.
The drone strikes follow a series of military operations in northern Mali, where the Malian government has been engaged in a fierce conflict with Tuareg separatists and extremist groups linked to al-Qaida. The escalation of violence had come after a significant defeat for the Malian army and Wagner mercenaries in late July when Tuareg rebels claimed to have killed dozens of Malian soldiers and Wagner operatives during clashes near Tinzaouatine.
Rida Lyammouri, a senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, explained to The Associated Press that Malian forces and Russian mercenaries have a limited presence on the ground in the area, relying primarily on drones for attacks. He noted that airstrikes, including those affecting civilians, are likely to intensify as retaliation for the recent significant defeat suffered by Wagner mercenaries in northern Mali.
This incident represents the deadliest drone attack on civilians in northern Mali since the breakdown of a peace agreement in 2022 between the Malian government and pro-independence groups.
The conflict in northern Mali has been further complicated by the involvement of the Russian Wagner Group, whose operatives have been assisting the Malian military since 2021 after the government cut ties with Western forces. Human rights organizations have expressed growing concerns over the rising number of civilian casualties attributed to joint operations between Malian forces and Wagner mercenaries.
Humanitarian organizations have condemned the airstrike in Tinzaouatine and are calling for an immediate and thorough investigation into the attack. The civilian death toll has raised alarm about the use of drone warfare in populated areas, particularly as the Malian military ramps up its operations in northern Mali to reclaim territory from separatist and extremist groups.
