The first incident occurred on 2 October in Kamona village, where at least 21 men were reportedly killed and homes set on fire. The second attack took place in Balle, around 55 km (34 miles) away, leaving at least ten people dead, including a woman, HRW said.
Witnesses told HRW that soldiers and militia forces executed villagers after accusing them of supporting JNIM. Among those who survived was a local herder who hid in an abandoned home with his nine-year-old daughter and later discovered 17 bodies riddled with bullets.
Neither Mali’s army nor the African Union responded immediately to requests for comment.
HRW has called on Mali’s authorities to investigate the killings and urged the African Union to take action to help end the conflict and hold perpetrators accountable.
Mali, a landlocked West African country, faces ongoing pressure from jihadist groups, which have carried out repeated attacks on state forces. Recent months have also seen a fuel blockade that created long queues and increased costs for diesel generators.
Mali’s foreign minister dismissed fears that jihadists could soon capture the capital, Bamako, describing the idea as implausible.