The Malian transitional authorities have long touted the growing strength of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) and their sovereign control over the national territory. Yet the October 19, 2026 opening of the Military Tribunal’s session in Sévaré, Mopti, shatters this carefully crafted narrative. With 72 defendants—69 of them active-duty soldiers—facing 43 cases ranging from arms trafficking to desertion and violent crimes, the courtroom has become a stark mirror reflecting deep structural failures within the institution.
A deadly cycle: state weapons fueling insurgent firepower
At the heart of this judicial reckoning lies a damning revelation: nearly half of the cases involve the loss, theft, diversion, or illegal trade of weapons, ammunition, and magazines. Behind the sterile legal jargon lies a grim security reality—significant portions of the army’s official arsenal are ending up in the hands of Mali’s most lethal adversaries. In the conflict zones of central and northern Mali, materials siphoned from military stockpiles—whether through negligence, corruption, or outright collusion—are now being wielded by fighters from the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS).
While Bamako continues to condemn alleged foreign backers of terrorist groups, the Sévaré tribunal exposes an equally toxic supply chain thriving within military barracks and ammunition depots. The irony is biting: Malian soldiers are increasingly falling to bullets paid for by the national budget.
Desertions and abuses: the fracture within the ranks
The surge in desertion cases—identified by the military prosecutor as the second most frequent offense—lays bare a collapsing morale and a breakdown of discipline. Repeated abandonments of posts and unauthorized departures reveal a force stretched to its limits, its spirit of sacrifice eroded by relentless pressure. Despite repeated calls for reintegration and ultimatums from the high command, the exodus continues, thinning the ranks on the frontlines.
Even more alarming are the allegations of assassination, torture, abduction, and sexual violence leveled against soldiers. These atrocities, committed against civilians, confirm the warnings long issued by human rights organizations. By alienating local communities, such abuses sever the army’s most vital intelligence lifeline while handing insurgent groups a propaganda victory—they position themselves as protectors against state-sponsored brutality.
A justice system on the brink of collapse
The Military Tribunal’s proceedings in Mopti, presented as a demonstration of transparency and rigor, instead highlight the chronic delays of a military justice system on its last legs. The prosecution cites insecurity, a shortage of magistrates, and geographic remoteness to explain the rarity of hearings. But the consequences are dire: prolonged pretrial detentions, condemned by the Malian Bar Association, leave some defendants languishing in prison for years before facing a judge.
The imperative for change at the highest levels
For Colonel Assimi Goïta and the supreme command, the Sévaré trials cannot be dismissed as routine housecleaning or a public relations exercise. They represent a critical inflection point. No military strategy can succeed if the chain of command tolerates the diversion of weapons to the enemy, if discipline crumbles at the front, or if justice operates in fits and starts. Before demanding blind trust from the population, Mali’s defense apparatus must first confront its own complicity in its decline—and seal the leaks draining its strength.
