Human Rights Watch (HRW) has documented a deadly drone strike on a Tuareg family in the village of

Bamako, November 16, 2025 - Human Rights Watch (HRW) has documented a deadly drone strike on a Tuareg family in the village of Tangatta, Timbuktu region, on the night of November 13. The attack killed seven civilians, including five children, leaving only a few survivors. A local teacher, one of the few witnesses, described a sudden explosion following the sighting of a drone overhead, which left the victims’ bodies charred and forced the remaining villagers to flee.

HRW confirmed that no combatants were present in the village at the time of the strike, though the area is regularly monitored by Malian military drones due to the presence of armed groups, including the National Liberation Front (FLN) and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). The organization noted that the security situation in northern Mali has deteriorated significantly since the collapse of the 2015 peace agreement between Bamako and Tuareg groups in 2023.

The strike in Tangatta is part of a wider pattern of civilian casualties. On November 14, a drone strike in the nearby village of Albouhera reportedly killed two women and two children. HRW emphasized that the Malian military has conducted multiple air operations that have resulted in civilian deaths across northern Mali.

The organization warns that these attacks could constitute war crimes, as international humanitarian law prohibits strikes targeting civilians or failing to take precautions to protect them. HRW calls on the Malian authorities to:

Cease illegal drone operations against civilian areas.

This report underscores the humanitarian toll of escalating military operations in Mali and highlights the urgent need for compliance with international law to protect civilians.