The Malian army, alongside Russia's Africa Corps, reportedly used cluster munitions for the first time during military operations against jihadist and separatist groups in the country's north, RFI reported May 20. According to images shared with RFI, the strikes involved RBK-500-2.5 bombs and ShOAB-0.5 submunitions.

The reported use of cluster bombs comes after JNIM launched large-scale nationwide attacks on April 25, including in Bamako, which killed Mali's defense minister. Following these attacks, JNIM announced an ongoing blockade of Bamako on April 30. Malian forces have been relying on air power and external systems, including Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones, light attack helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft for surveillance and strikes, as well as artillery such as BM-21 Grads and howitzers.