REPORT N°02/MHB/2025
Period: Month of February
Date: March 1, 2025
Introduction:
The Kal Akal association is a Kidal-based civil society organization dedicated to defending the human rights of the people of Azawad. A non-profit organization, it works to promote education, the preservation of cultural heritage, social cohesion and the defense of human rights.
Its documentation work covers all the regions of Azawad, as well as part of central Mali. Through a network of local relays and anonymous individuals, Kal Akal gathers information on human rights violations, regardless of perpetrator, target or motivation.
CHRONICLE OF PERPETRATED ATROCITIES IN AZAWAD: a month of terror and barbarism in February 2025
The month of February 2025 stands out tragically in the long series of acts of violence that have devastated the northern regions of Azawad. The civilian populations, already burdened by persistent insecurity, were the victims of unparalleled brutality, committed by both the Malian army and its allies, the Russian mercenaries of the Wagner group, and the EIGS.
This report aims to provide a rigorous and detailed picture of the massive human rights violations committed during this month, while urging the international community to take the full measure of the ongoing tragedy.
I. SUMMARY EXECUTIONS AND TARGETED MURDERS: A SPIRAL OF DEATH: 109 confirmed cases
The month of February began in mourning with the discovery, on February 1, 2025, of the lifeless body of teacher Daouda Maïga, cruelly murdered between Talabit and Aguelhok (Kidal region). This murder, attributed to the Malian army and Wagner mercenaries, marked the beginning of a macabre series of extrajudicial executions:
- On February 7, during an attack in Koubi (between Gao and Ansongo), 45 civilians perished under bullets, collateral victims of the clash between Islamic State fighters and a Malian military convoy accompanied by Wagner mercenaries. This tragedy was followed by the execution of 15 Songhoy civilians on the outskirts of Ansongo.
- On February 10, in Tinalfaghayamen, in the Gargando area, a joint FAMa-Wagner mission summarily executed a civilian. Later the same day, three civilians suffered the same fate in Tabagout, north of Goundam, while several women were seriously wounded.
- On February 12, in Tindinda (Timbuktu region), four youths were executed by FAMa-Wagner elements, and two other people were arrested.
- On February 16, during a vast operation in the Kidal region, the Malian army and Wagner mercenaries engaged in acts of extreme violence:
In Aslaghe, a patrol opened fire on cattle gathered at a watering point, before executing two civilians. The bodies of the victims were rigged with explosives, killing two relatives who had come to bury them. The death toll from this atrocity stands at four.
In the Inorhi area, four Hilux vehicles were targeted: one was set on fire, two were seized, and 28 people died, including three women and two girls. The fourth vehicle, under enemy fire, managed to escape, but with two dead (including a woman who succumbed to her injuries) and one wounded. Another civilian vehicle was seized, and its occupants disappeared without a trace, plunging their families into anguish.
At Tin Adjoumas, in the commune of Aguelhok, an air strike carried out by the Malian army and Wagner mercenaries targeted a civilian vehicle, killing one civilian and seriously injuring another. - On February 23, Aghali Ag Doula was executed in Tessalit, marking yet another episode of indiscriminate violence against civilians.
- On February 25, in Intachdaite, Wagner mercenaries and Malian soldiers summarily executed Khama Ag Billal and Aljimit Ag Sakat, adding their names to the long list of victims of this barbarism.
- February 26, 2025. The lifeless body of Ahmedou ag Alhassane was found shot dead at Ahoumbouber, in the Tessalit area. He was one of the people abducted by Malian soldiers and Wagner mercenaries on February 26, 2025.
II. ABDUCTION, FORCED DISAPPEARANCE AND TORTURE: 19 confirmed cases
Kidnappings have multiplied, plunging the families of the disappeared into unbearable anguish: - On February 5, at Barrage Elewidj Aguelhoc, Baddi Ag Ibrahim and Ayouba Ag Tallati were abducted by a Wagner patrol.
- On February 7, Ahmedou Ag Mohamed, a Tuareg nomad, was kidnapped north of Ber.
- On February 21, Mohamed Ag Imaalhit was cruelly tortured in Markouba, where his captors cut off his ears before leaving him for dead.
- On February 22, Vieux Ag Hamra, a young shopkeeper, was kidnapped in Tessalit, his fate still unknown.
- From February 23 to 25, at least two people were abducted during attacks in Tikankent and Intachdaite, before being summarily executed.
- On February 26, at least eleven people were arrested in the town of Tessalit, and later the deputy mayor was released along with two detained children.
III. SYSTEMATIC LOOTING AND MASSIVE DESTRUCTION OF CIVILIAN PROPERTY / RAPE :
February was also marked by looting operations on a devastating scale:
- On February 2, the localities of Telamsi and Azawa were ransacked, their inhabitants stripped of the food and fuel essential to their survival.
- On February 9, at the weekly market in Ekdoun, Wagner mercenaries and Malian soldiers terrorized traders, stealing money and goods.
- On February 10, in Timbuktu, merchants were forced to sign checks under threat before being executed.
- From February 23 to 25, from Tikankent to Intachdaite, villagers’ homes and property were methodically destroyed by explosives or reduced to ashes, and homes were damaged by armored vehicles. Bedouin tents were set on fire and damaged, as were two vehicles crucial to the supply of drinking water.
In addition to these acts of looting, civilian dwellings were also set on fire, as in Tabagout (north of Goundam), where grain stores, kitchen utensils and even pastures were deliberately burnt to the ground.
IV. HUMANITARIAN CONSEQUENCES: A MASS EXODUS OF CIVILIANS
Faced with this relentless violence, the population had no choice but to flee: - On February 21, several hundred Tuareg and Arab families fled the Kidal region to seek refuge in Algeria.
- From February 21 to 23, there was a massive influx of displaced people at the Algerian border, particularly at Talahendak and El-Khamsine, where truckloads of distraught families converged, fleeing repression and violence.
- Following the events of February 23-25, families from Tikankent, Intachdaite and surrounding areas joined the exodus, abandoning everything to escape the atrocities.
The humanitarian situation is deteriorating daily, as displaced civilians find themselves deprived of everything and facing an uncertain future.
V. VIOL :
No cases of rape were duly recorded by us during the month of February.
Conclusion
A CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL MOBILIZATION
The Kal-Akal Association denounces in the strongest possible terms these atrocities, which constitute serious and repeated violations of international humanitarian law and human rights.
We solemnly appeal to the international community to use all means at its disposal to : - Protect the civilian populations of Azawad, victims of this indiscriminate violence;
- Put an end to the impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of these crimes;
- Ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access to the affected regions.
The Kal-Akal association, faithful to its mission of defending human rights, will tirelessly pursue its work of documenting the exactions and assisting the victims, while maintaining a heightened vigilance on the evolution of the situation.
This detailed report is intended to help raise awareness of the seriousness of the situation in Azawad, and to prompt a response commensurate with the humanitarian and security emergency facing the region.
SOME IMAGES OF THE CRIMES
