The killings of at least eight civilians during drone strikes on a crowded market in Inadiafatane last month require a thorough and open investigation by Malian authorities. Amnesty International said today that because the strike targeted civilian objects and killed and injured civilians, it must be looked into as a war crime.
According to information obtained by Amnesty International from multiple witnesses to the October 21 drone strikes in Inadiafatane, in the Timbuktu region of northern Mali, eight civilians were killed, including six children, and approximately fifteen others were injured, some of them critically.
The decision-making and execution of the drone attacks that killed civilians must be immediately investigated by the authorities.
Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Regional Director, Samira Daoud
“The selection of military targets must be guided by the principle of distinction. Drone attacks must make a clear distinction between military people or fighters from armed organizations and civilians; they must not target civilians or non-military buildings. According to Samira Daoud, Regional Director for West and Central Africa at Amnesty International, “the precautionary principle in attacks requires that military operations be conducted with constant concern to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
Among the victims were infants and children.
Amnesty International was informed by Attaye*, a witness to the strikes, that “I was in my yard around noon when the first explosions rang out.” Fifteen minutes later, there was a second strike, followed by a third. Five motorcycles that were parked behind a metal shed in the market were the target of the initial strike. Numerous people were killed, and numerous others were wounded by shrapnel.
“A trader’s car that had arrived at the market was the target of the second strike. A car was also wrecked in the third impact. The victims of these strikes, which occurred in the heart of the market, were mostly shoppers, vendors, and passersby. They killed a six-year-old girl and a four-month-old baby. A number of injured individuals who were being brought to Timbuktu passed away either during or after their journey. There were roughly fifteen injuries and eight fatalities. But according to reports, two more persons left the market following the drone strikes and passed away in the jungle from their wounds.
On the evening of October 21–22, the infant and the nine-year-old girl passed away during the journey to Timbuktu hospital. Two days later, the woman passed away at the hospital in Timbuktu.
Witness to the strikes, Abass*
“The drone was flying over the market since 9am,” Abass*, who lost four family members in the strikes, told Amnesty International. We stopped hearing it around 10 a.m., but it returned by 11 a.m. Two youngsters, a newborn, and a guy in his 50s were among the four fatalities. Two hours later, another six-month-old child passed away from his wounds. There were also numerous injuries.
According to him, five of the critically injured were taken in a pick-up truck to Timbuktu hospital. These included two young males, one of whom had a fracture, a one-year-old infant struck by shrapnel, and a lady and a nine-year-old girl who had severe intestinal injuries.
He continued: “On the evening of October 21–22, the nine-year-old girl and the infant passed away during their transfer to the Timbuktu hospital. Two days later, the woman passed away at the Timbuktu hospital. The two young men remain at Timbuktu’s hospital. The health center in Inadiafatane is treating less critical cases.
“Many of the wounded fled into the bush,” Redouane*, another Inadiafatane local, told Amnesty International. A few of them refused to receive care at the medical facility. When they feel threatened, nomads often seek safety in the wilderness and are highly wary of official authority. We are depending on God to assist us. Nobody has arrived to assist us.
“The decision-making process and execution of drone strikes that have caused civilian casualties must be immediately investigated by the Malian authorities.” Additionally, they need to be more open about their drone usage policies,” Samira Daoud stated.
Background
These drone strikes came after a number of 2024 attacks that killed civilians. Testimonies gathered by Amnesty International reveal that 13 civilians, including seven children, were murdered in a strike in Amasrakadh, Gao area, on March 17. On March 23, another strike in Douna claimed the lives of 14 civilians, 11 of them were children.
*In order to protect identities, names have been changed.
