As central Mali sinks ever deeper into a spiral of unchecked violence, the statement by the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) following the attacks on Ningari and Sarédina exposes the structural weaknesses in the transitional state’s security approach.
The pattern is now tragically familiar: villages attacked, defenceless civilians executed, homes torched, followed by the inevitable wave of official statements expressing outrage and sympathy. The recent atrocities committed in the Bandiagara area, specifically in Ningari and Sarédina, underscore a harsh truth that official rhetoric tries to hide: despite bold claims about the growing strength of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), the daily protection of citizens remains a glaring failure.
The mirage of territorial control and civilian abandonment
The CNDH’s statement, signed by its interim president, lawyer Aissata Founè Tembely, serves as a blunt wake-up call to the authorities in Bamako. By stressing that the safety of people and property is the state’s “primary sovereign duty,” the CNDH effectively highlights the administrative and military shortcomings on the ground.
In the Dogon Country, the security vacuum caused by the absence or ineffectiveness of continuous state operations leaves residents at the mercy of terrorist armed groups. While public discourse focuses on national sovereignty and managing the narrative, the fundamental social contract between the state and its citizens in the central region has been broken. Sovereignty cannot be measured by the firmness of speeches in Bamako but by the real ability to protect the life of a farmer or trader in Ningari.
Institutionalised impunity and the rhetoric of stalled investigations
As with every tragedy, the CNDH calls for “independent and impartial” investigations to bring the perpetrators to justice. But how credible are these calls when the judicial system is effectively paralysed in conflict zones?
The accumulation of massacres without any major trial to assign responsibility fuels a devastating sense of impunity. Without concrete prosecutions, demands for investigations begin to resemble a bureaucratic ritual meant to fill an institutional void. This absent justice undermines public trust in the state and inevitably pushes communities toward self-defence or opportunistic alliances, worsening the fragmentation of the social fabric.
The trap of a military-only approach and humanitarian law violations
By urging the FAMa to strictly respect International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the CNDH also warns of the dangers of a purely military strategy without safeguards. In their pursuit of terrorist groups, security forces and their auxiliaries are frequently accused by civil society of indiscriminate actions and abuses against local populations.
This approach, which prioritises body counts and media-friendly operations over lasting community security, produces the opposite of the intended effect. Every mistake or summary execution becomes a prime recruiting tool for extremist groups. By reminding that the fight against terrorism cannot disregard human rights, the CNDH cautions: a military victory achieved at the expense of the law is an illusion that sows the seeds of future revolts.
The CNDH’s warning is clear. If the transitional authorities continue to favour political posturing and security messaging over real, impartial, and judicial protection of citizens, Mali risks losing far more than territory: it will lose the very legitimacy of its state.