The malian transitional authorities continue to herald the growing strength of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) and their sovereign control over national territory. Yet, the opening of the Military Tribunal of Mopti’s session in Sévaré on 19 October 2026 delivers a stark rebuttal. With 72 defendants—69 of them military personnel—facing 43 cases ranging from arms trafficking to desertion and violent crimes, the courtroom laying bare an institution riddled with deep structural failures.
Weapons meant for troops now arm Mali’s enemies
Among the most damning revelations is the mishandling of military hardware. Nearly half of the cases involve the loss, theft, diversion, or trafficking of weapons, ammunition, and magazines. Beneath the legal jargon lies a grim security reality: a significant portion of the state-issued arsenal ends up directly in the hands of Mali’s adversaries. In the central and northern operational zones, equipment siphoned from official stocks—through negligence, corruption, or active complicity—finds its way to fighters of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS).
While Bamako consistently condemns the alleged external backing of terrorist groups, the Sévaré tribunal exposes a homegrown supply chain just as harmful. It’s a self-defeating cycle: Malian soldiers increasingly fall under fire from weapons funded by their own national budget.
Desertions and abuses: a force pushed to the brink
The surge in desertion cases, identified by the military prosecutor as the second most common offence, signals a moral collapse within the ranks. Repeated abandonments of posts and unauthorized departures reveal a breakdown of discipline that martial rhetoric about “sacrifice” can no longer conceal. Despite calls for reintegration and ultimatums from high command, the trend persists, thinning the ranks on the ground.
Even more alarming are the allegations of murder, torture, illegal detention, and sexual violence levelled against military personnel. These atrocities, committed against civilians, confirm long-standing warnings from human rights organizations. By alienating local communities, such abuses sever the army’s most critical intelligence source and play into the propaganda of insurgent groups, who position themselves as protectors against state overreach.
A military justice system struggling to keep up
The tribunal’s proceedings, framed as an act of transparency, instead highlight the chronic delays of a military justice system on the verge of collapse. The prosecution cites insecurity, a shortage of magistrates, and geographic isolation to explain the rarity of hearings. The result? Prolonged pretrial detentions condemned by the Malian Bar Association, with some defendants languishing in prison for years without facing a judge.
A call for leadership accountability
For Colonel Assimi Goïta and the supreme command, the Sévaré trials cannot be dismissed as mere routine clean-up or institutional PR. They serve as a severe warning: no military strategy can succeed if the chain of command permits weapons to leak to the enemy, if frontline discipline crumbles, and if justice operates sporadically. Before demanding blind trust from the public, Mali’s defense apparatus must first address its own failings and plug the leaks draining its strength.
