Mali army killed 31 villagers in attacks on insurgent area

19/11/2025 6:25

Mali's military and allied militias killed at least 31 people in attacks on two villages in the central Segou region where the main insurgent group linked to al

Qaeda operates, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Tuesday.



The first attack took place on October 2 in the village of Kamona, where the army and militia forces killed least 21 men and burned homes, the HRW report said. The second, it reported, occurred in the village of Balle about 55 km (34 miles) away, where at least 10 people including one woman had been killed.



The report said witnesses described army and militia forces executing villagers after accusing them of collaborating with Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). The al Qaeda-allied group has expanded operations in the south of the West African country.