The jihadists of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM), affiliated with Al-Qaeda, claimed a series of coordinated attacks with Tuareg rebels against strategic positions of the ruling junta in Mali, on the outskirts of Bamako and in several important cities in the Sahel region.
Since the junta took power in 2020, Mali has been plagued by conflicts and jihadist violence, but the attacks by jihadists and the Tuareg rebels from the Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA) are unprecedented.
In September 2024, JNIM claimed a double attack of rare magnitude on the military airport in Bamako, the capital, and the gendarmerie school, which killed over 70 and wounded 200, according to security sources.
Fighting between the army and the assailants that began at dawn on Saturday intensified in the afternoon on the outskirts of Bamako and in several cities, particularly in Kidal, a stronghold of armed separatist groups in the north.
The FLA, a separatist group claiming the territory of Azawad in northern Mali, announced that it has regained control of Kidal. The city was retaken in November 2023 by the Malian army, supported by fighters from the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, ending over a decade of control by rebel groups.
The JNIM, which has been fighting against the military authorities in Bamako for years, declared victory, attributing it to hard work, coordination with partners, and active participation of their brothers from the FLA.
They also took responsibility for the attacks on the Malian president’s residence, the Defense Minister’s office, the Bamako international airport, and military sites in the neighboring city of Kati.
Uncertainty surrounds the fate of the defense minister, the head of Malian intelligence, and the leader of the Malian junta.
The United States Bureau of African Affairs offered sincere condolences to the victims and their families, condemning the terrorist attack in Mali.
The African Union strongly condemned the attacks, warning of the serious threat they pose to civilian populations.
In a rare move, JNIM reached out to Russia, proposing to neutralize the Russian part of the conflict in exchange for non-targeting and future balanced and effective coordination.
However, the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the terrorist actions as a direct threat to the stability of Mali, a friend of Russia, with potentially severe consequences for the region.
Since 2012, Mali has been mired in a deep security crisis fueled by violence from jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as communal criminal groups and separatists.
