BAMAKO, Mali — Mali’s military announced Saturday that a number of towns in the country’s north had come under attack from rebel forces, with Gao and Sévaré among the locations targeted.
The announcement coincided with a declaration from a separatist organization of a fresh offensive aimed at seizing a northern town. Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), posted on Facebook that separatist fighters were moving against the town of Anefis.
As of Saturday, no reports of casualties had emerged from the attacks.
Mali has long struggled with armed insurgencies, including from groups tied to al-Qaida and the Islamic State, as well as a long-running separatist movement in the north. The separatists have spent years fighting to carve out an independent state in that region.
The conflict extends beyond Mali’s borders — neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso are also engaged in ongoing battles against al-Qaida and Islamic State-linked factions.
After military coups toppled governments in all three countries, the new ruling juntas abandoned their Western partnerships and turned to Russia for assistance in fighting Islamic militants. Despite that shift, the security situation has continued to deteriorate, with militant attacks reaching record levels. Government forces in the region have also faced accusations of killing civilians believed to be working with militant groups.
The violence has been escalating in recent months. In late April, the FLA joined forces with JNIM, the regional al-Qaida affiliate, in a coordinated assault that killed the defense minister in his home and allowed the attackers to seize control of several key towns in northern Mali.
