BAMAKO, May 2 (Reuters) — Mali’s government has launched an investigation into military personnel believed to have assisted insurgents in last week’s devastating coordinated strikes against army installations nationwide, according to a judicial official’s announcement.
A military tribunal prosecutor in Bamako revealed that five soldiers are under suspicion, including three currently serving members, one retiree, and a dismissed soldier who died during combat near Kati, the nation’s primary military base located 15 kilometers from the capital. The statement was broadcast on state television Friday evening.
“The first arrests have been successfully carried out, and all other perpetrators, co-perpetrators, and accomplices are actively being sought,” the prosecutor’s statement declared, though officials did not disclose the total number of suspects identified or specify who has been detained.
The synchronized assault that began April 25 demonstrated how militants from various factions with differing objectives managed to penetrate the core of this West African nation’s military leadership, which seized control through successive coups in 2020 and 2021.
The attacks resulted in the death of Mali’s defense minister and compelled Russian forces supporting the government to withdraw from Kidal, a strategic northern town.
The violence has triggered widespread combat throughout Mali’s expansive northern desert regions, creating opportunities for armed groups that have demonstrated growing boldness in targeting neighboring nations and potentially expanding their reach beyond the region, according to security analysts.
The insurgents affiliated with al-Qaeda, operating under the name Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), have urged Malians to rebel against their government and embrace Sharia law implementation.
The group has also threatened to surround Bamako, with security sources reporting Friday that militants had established roadblocks around the four-million-person city.
In a Tuesday television broadcast, military leader Assimi Goita declared the situation remained manageable and promised to “neutralise” the insurgent organizations responsible for the attacks.
