Evidence Emerges of Banned Russian Cluster Bombs Used in Mali

Unexploded Russian-made cluster munition bomblets have been discovered in the village of Tadjmart in northern Mali. Visual evidence and geolocation data link these munitions to airstrikes carried out on May 17 by the Malian Armed Forces. The military claims the operation targeted armed groups in the region, located roughly 55 kilometers south of Aguelhok.

The identified weapons are ShOAB-0.5 submunitions, which leave behind small craters and unexploded ordnance near residential buildings. The use of these weapons is particularly significant because Mali is a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international treaty that prohibits the use of such weaponry due to their indiscriminate nature and long-term danger to civilians.

These strikes occur amid a surge in violence involving the Malian government and a coalition of Tuareg separatists and al-Qaeda-affiliated militants. The Russian government currently supports the Malian military through the Africa Corps, a paramilitary group that took over the role previously held by the Wagner Group.

The deployment of these banned munitions marks a dangerous escalation in a civil war that has persisted since 2012. The presence of Russian hardware in a conflict zone where the host nation has pledged to avoid cluster bombs raises serious questions regarding international law and the nature of the military support provided by the Africa Corps.