** U.S. Africa Command takes all reports of civilian harm seriously and maintains processes to conduct thorough assessments using all available information that may factor into findings. Please include the date and location of the incident, as well as any other details that can help the assessment. If you don't have an e-mail address, ensure a phone number is provided so we can reach you:

** Submit a Civilian Harm Report **

Airstrikes: U.S. Africa Command strike protocol, assessment of civilian harm allegations, and historical record of strikes conducted in Libya and Somalia.

U.S. Africa Command Civilian Harm Assessment Report

In the latest quarterly civilian harm assessment report period ending June 30, 2025, U.S. Africa Command did not receive any new reports of civilian harm and carried over one open report from previous quarters.

This is the 22nd quarterly assessment report since the Command began releasing civilian casualty reports in April 2020. These reports are part of the Command’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

U.S. Africa Command takes all reports of possible civilian harm seriously and has a process to conduct thorough reviews and assessments using all available information. U.S. Africa Command publishes quarterly reports on the command’s unclassified, publicly accessible website that provide information on the status and results of reviews, assessments, and investigations relating to civilian harm in accordance with Department of Defense Instruction 3000.17 “Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response.”

Discrepancies between U.S. Africa Command civilian harm assessments and NGO Reports

U.S. Africa Command civilian harm assessment reports occasionally differ from other organizations’ reports, including those by non-governmental organizations, for a number of reasons. The command’s reviews rely on a variety of sources, including open-source information and information from reliable and multi-layered intelligence sources, as well as classified operational reporting, some of which is not accessible to the public. This can contribute to perceived discrepancies between the command’s assessments and those of others.

Definition of “civilian” and “combatant”

When assessing reports of civilian harm, DoD considers whether any members of the civilian population were wounded or killed as a direct result of U.S. military operations. For the purposes of such assessments, DoD does not include members of the civilian population who have forfeited the protections of civilian status by engaging in hostilities. Information about different classes of persons under the law of war, including "civilians" and "combatants," can be found in Chapter IV of the DoD Law of War Manual (June 2015, Updated December 2023), which is available at: https://ogc.osd.mil/Portals/99/Law%20of%20War%202023/DOD-LAW-OF-WAR-MANUAL-JUNE-2015-UPDATED-JULY%202023.pdf?ver=Qbxamfouw4znu1I7DVMcsw%3d%3d

U.S. Africa Command Quarterly Civilian Harm Assessment Report Summary of Results

It is U.S. Africa Command’s policy to reevaluate reports of civilian harm should previously unassessed relevant information become available and a review of the new information indicates it could change the previously approved results or if other issues emerge that cast significant doubts on the accuracy of the previously approved assessment’s results. Absent new information, the previous assessments are final and complete.

Open Assessments

U.S. Africa Command had one open assessment during this quarter. Information on that assessment will be included in the quarterly report following its completion.