Mali

Women experience layered threats to their safety, participation, and rights. The government’s dissolution of political parties and crackdown on protests risk further narrowing women’s already-limited political participation and civil society engagement, while women activists and other dissenting voices face heightened risks of arrest, intimidation, and harassment. At the same time, conflict-related abuses by state and non-state actors continue to expose women and girls to protection risks, including sexual violence. Recent evidence of war crimes by Malian forces and Wagner personnel add to longstanding allegations of abuses against civilians, including reports of sexual violence.

Women and girls in Mali also face structural and socioeconomic vulnerabilities that compound conflict-related risks. Mali has one of the world’s highest rates of child marriage, while gender norms contribute to the persistence of gender-based violence, including normalization of female genital mutilation and intimate partner violence. Climate change and insecurity further constrain women’s livelihoods, particularly for women farmers who face barriers to land, financing, and other productive resources. At the same time, women’s participation in conflict prevention has increased in parts of Mali and Niger’s border areas, where women have helped mediate natural-resource conflicts, while women’s organizations have contributed to peace committees and community-level peacebuilding.

Food insecurity has reached emergency levels in parts of the Ménaka Region, particularly among displaced populations. Conflict—including attacks on fuel convoys by JNIM—has limited access to agricultural land, while reduced availability of fuel and fertilizer constrains crop production. Insecurity along key transport corridors is disrupting supply chains and driving shortages and price increases. These pressures disproportionately affect female-headed households, limiting access to food and income as household resources come under strain.

The JNIM armed group, whose stated goal is to impose its version of Islamic law across Mali, continues to seize control over new territories, particularly in southwest Mali, and attack industry hubs. Women living under JNIM governance face gendered restrictions on their dress and behavior, undermining their economic security and negatively impacting their physical and mental health. Although some women report positive views of JNIM, research suggests this may be an adaptive survival strategy given the risk of retaliation for speaking out. JNIM’s advance comes alongside continued activity by other extremist groups, including February 2026 reports of sexual violence by Islamic State-Sahel Province fighters.

Africa Corps has deepened Russia’s footprint in Mali through sustained arms transfers and a shift toward long-term entrenchment. Reports indicate a surge in abuses by Africa Corps, namely rape and torture, particularly in northern and border regions.  Women and girls continue to face sexual violence by combatants from all sides, while limited oversight and weak accountability mechanisms constrain access to justice and protection services, reinforcing impunity and increasing vulnerability for civilians, particularly women in conflict-affected communities.

Mali’s ruling junta arrested a well-known journalist after he published an article critical of the regime and jailed a former Prime Minister after he expressed solidarity with imprisoned political critics. These steps signal continued restrictions on freedom of speech and the erosion of rule of law, which further threaten the safety of women leaders and women-led rights organizations as well as their ability to carry out their work in a climate of fear and self-censorship.

A landmark case before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights against the Malian government for alleged abuses involving state forces and the Wagner Group (now Africa Corps) signals a potential shift toward accountability. The case—supported by African and international civil society organizations—seeks to establish state responsibility for failing to prevent, investigate, and redress violations, including sexual violence, torture, and enforced disappearances. If advanced, the case could expand access to justice for survivors—including women affected by sexual violence—and strengthen gender-sensitive accountability mechanisms for abuses by state and transnational armed actors.