As central Mali sinks deeper into a spiral of uncontrolled violence, the statement from the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) following the attacks on Ningari and Sarédina exposes the structural weaknesses in the transitional government’s security approach.
The pattern has become tragically familiar: villages attacked, defenceless civilians killed, homes set ablaze, followed by the inevitable wave of official statements expressing outrage and sympathy. The recent atrocities in the Bandiagara area, specifically in Ningari and Sarédina, highlight a harsh reality that official rhetoric tries to hide: despite claims about the growing strength of the Malian armed forces (FAMa), the day-to-day protection of citizens remains a glaring failure.
The illusion of territorial control and civilian abandonment
The CNDH’s statement, signed by its interim president, Aissata Founè Tembely, serves as a blunt reminder to the authorities in Bamako. By stressing that the safety of people and property is the state’s ‘primary sovereign duty’, the CNDH effectively points to administrative and military shortcomings on the ground.
In the Dogon Country, the security vacuum left by the absence or ineffectiveness of continuous state operations leaves communities at the mercy of armed terrorist groups. While public discourse focuses on national sovereignty and managing the narrative, the fundamental social contract between the state and its citizens in central Mali is broken. Sovereignty cannot be measured by strong speeches in Bamako, but by the real ability to protect a farmer or trader in Ningari.
Institutionalised impunity and the rhetoric of investigations that go nowhere
As with every tragedy, the CNDH calls for ‘independent and impartial’ investigations to bring those responsible to justice. But how credible are these calls when the judicial system is largely paralysed in conflict zones?
The repeated massacres, with no major trials to assign responsibility, fuel a devastating sense of impunity. Without concrete prosecutions, demands for investigations start to look like a bureaucratic ritual meant to fill an institutional void. This absent justice erodes people’s trust in the state, pushing communities towards self-defence or temporary alliances, which further fragments the social fabric.
The trap of a military-only approach and breaches of humanitarian law
By urging the FAMa to strictly respect International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the CNDH also highlights the dangers of a purely military strategy without safeguards. In their pursuit of terrorist groups, security forces and their auxiliaries are often accused by civil society of indiscriminate actions and abuses against local populations.
This approach, which prioritises body counts and media-savvy operations over lasting community security, backfires. Each mistake or summary execution becomes a recruiting tool for extremist groups. By reminding that the fight against terrorism cannot ignore human rights, the CNDH warns: a military victory won at the expense of the law is an illusion that sets the stage for tomorrow’s unrest.
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.
