Amnesty International said on Wednesday that drone strikes in the northern region of Mali have resulted in the deaths of at least 13 people, including seven children between the ages of two and seventeen.
A man told the London-based rights group that on March 17, during the nighttime air raid on the Amasrakad neighborhood, he had lost his wife and six of his children.
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According to Amnesty International, the army claimed that the two attacks “had contributed to neutralising many terrorists,” but seven survivors’ and witnesses’ statements contradicted that assertion.
Nine people were killed instantaneously when a second attack struck a makeshift shelter where locals had taken refuge after the first bomb struck a pick-up truck, according to Amnesty.
In addition, a mother later learned that her pregnant child had passed away, and three more people perished from their wounds.
“It is unconscionable that whole families could be killed by drone strikes, without any accountability or justice,” said Samira Daoud of Amnesty International.
“Authorities in Mali must ensure an effective and independent investigation into the killings of these civilians.”
Since 2012, a number of jihadist organizations connected to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as bandits and self-declared self-defense forces, have devastated Mali.
Following two coups in 2020 and 2021, the nation has been governed by the military, and the security situation is made worse by a serious political and humanitarian catastrophe.
According to Amnesty International, from mid-2023, the army has increased its operations against Al-Qaeda, IS, and former rebel groups, including carrying out drone strikes.
It said that a surge in military activity in the Kidal and Gao regions in recent months had forced a large number of civilians to escape to Amasrakad.
