BAMAKO — A military convoy in northern Mali was struck by a deadly ambush over the weekend carried out by fighters affiliated with al Qaeda and a Tuareg-led separatist faction, with a source close to the rebel groups saying more than 50 soldiers and allied Russian fighters lost their lives, while others were taken captive.
The assault is the latest in a string of increasingly bold attacks by the two groups, which coordinated a nationwide offensive in April that claimed the life of the country’s defence minister and struck the airport in the capital city of Bamako. Earlier this month, the groups launched a follow-up offensive aimed at seizing the town of Anefis.
According to statements issued by Mali’s armed forces, the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), and the al Qaeda-affiliated group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), the attack took place Saturday between Anefis and the city of Gao in the country’s north.
Mali’s military confirmed the ambush occurred in the Tabrichat area and said it responded with retaliatory airstrikes that killed at least 20 insurgents.
In its own statement, the FLA said “dozens” of Malian soldiers and members of the Russian paramilitary Africa Corps had been “neutralised,” adding that significant material damage had occurred. A source with ties to the FLA put the pro-government death toll at more than 50. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the casualty figures.
JNIM released video footage online that appeared to depict soldiers surrendering with their hands behind their heads, as well as rebels firing on some of those captured. Reuters has not independently verified the authenticity of that footage.
Despite the violence, Mali’s army has maintained control of Anefis.
The surge in attacks presents a serious challenge to Mali’s military-led government, which rose to power through coups in 2020 and 2021 and had pledged to bring greater security to the landlocked nation in the Sahel region.
