In Mali, the situation is far from under control. On the contrary, the country has been plagued by jihadist conflicts and violence for more than a decade. Since the junta took power in 2020, the Saturday attacks by the jihadists of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM, an ally of Al-Qaeda) and the Tuareg rebellion of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) have been unprecedented.
From dawn on Saturday, clashes between the army and the assailants intensified in the afternoon on the outskirts of Bamako and in several cities, including Kati, a stronghold of the junta near Bamako, as well as in Kidal (north), Gao (north), and Sevare (central). The government stated that the attacks resulted in 16 civilian and military injuries and “limited material damage.”
General Assimi Goita, the junta’s leader, has not been seen or spoken since the start of hostilities. A Malian security source informed AFP that he “was exfiltrated from Kati on Saturday and is in a safe place.” However, many observers are surprised by his silence, as well as that of the two other junta members in the Sahel States Alliance (AES), which includes Niger and Burkina Faso.
Defense Minister Sadio Camara, 47, a key junta member, was killed in the JNIM attack on his residence. A family member confirmed, “In the attack on Kati, Minister Camara was killed along with his second wife.” The loss was acknowledged by a government source and corroborated by other military sources.
According to residents, the minister’s residence in Kati was largely destroyed on Saturday by a powerful explosion. Despite rumors that Sadio Camara was injured, his entourage denied those allegations.
Fighting resumed on Sunday morning between the rebels and the army, supported by Russian mercenaries, in Kidal and Kati, following the coordinated attacks by JNIM and the Tuareg rebels.
On Sunday, the rebels announced that they reached an “agreement” to allow Russian soldiers from the Africa Corps (a Russian paramilitary organization controlled by Moscow) to withdraw from Kidal, which they now claim to have “total control” over.
The FLA, a separatist group claiming the Azawad territory in northern Mali, declared control of Kidal on Saturday after clashes, a stronghold of the Tuareg rebellion. However, Sunday morning, the rebels resumed fighting, aiming to “dislodge the remaining Russian fighters seeking refuge” in a camp, as stated by spokesperson Mohamed Ramdane.
Kidal had been recaptured in November 2023 by the Malian army with support from Wagner, a Russian paramilitary group later known as the Africa Corps, putting an end to over a decade of control by rebel groups.
In a statement on Saturday night, JNIM, which has been fighting against the military in power in Bamako for years, proclaimed “victory” following the attacks. They attributed the success to “hard work,” coordination with partners, and the “active participation of our brothers” from the FLA.
They claimed responsibility for the assaults targeting the presidential seat of Assimi Goita, Defense Minister Sadio Camara, the international airport of Bamako, and the military sites in Kati.
Mali has been in a deep security crisis since 2012, fueled by violence from jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as communal criminal groups and separatists.
In September 2024, JNIM had claimed a major dual attack on the military airport of Bamako and the gendarmerie school, which resulted in over 70 deaths and 200 injuries, according to security sources.
(With AFP)
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