Bamako, Mali – May 16, 2025

A wave of fear is sweeping across central Mali, where chilling reports have emerged accusing Malian security forces of abducting and killing dozens of civilians in a brutal crackdown that has left communities shattered and human rights organizations sounding the alarm.

Villagers in the Mopti and Ségou regions are living in terror, claiming that uniformed men—allegedly from the national armed forces—stormed into their communities, rounded up men and boys, and took them away. Some were found later in mass graves. Others have simply vanished.

Eyewitnesses speak of horrifying scenes: families pleading for mercy, fields left bloodstained, and entire villages silenced by grief and fear. “They came at dawn,” said a survivor who asked to remain anonymous for safety. “They said they were looking for terrorists. My brother did not resist. They took him. The next day, we found his body in the bush.”

Human rights monitors describe a systematic pattern of extrajudicial killings under the guise of counterterrorism operations. While the Malian government claims it is targeting Islamist insurgents, local accounts suggest many of the victims were innocent herders and farmers with no ties to armed groups.

“These are crimes that must not go unanswered,” said a spokesperson for Amnesty International. “The international community must act before more lives are lost in the shadows.”

Despite mounting evidence, official responses have been dismissive. The Ministry of Defense maintains that operations in central Mali are legitimate security actions. Critics argue this stance is fostering a culture of impunity, further alienating already marginalized communities and fuelling the very extremism the state purports to fight.

As silence descends on the villages of central Mali, the cries of the bereaved echo louder. In a nation battered by years of conflict, the line between protector and predator has never been more terrifyingly blurred.