DAKAR — A convoy carrying Malian soldiers alongside fighters from the Russian paramilitary organization known as Africa Corps came under attack in northern Mali on Thursday, according to three security sources and a spokesperson for an armed group.
One source indicated the convoy was transporting more than 200 Russian fighters and more than 100 Malian soldiers. That same source noted a separate military convoy heading north had also been targeted earlier in the week in a similar attack.
The violence follows coordinated strikes on July 4, when the Al Qaeda-linked group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin, known as JNIM, and the Tuareg-led rebel organization the Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, launched simultaneous assaults on army positions throughout Mali.
Thursday’s convoy was en route to the northern town of Anefis — an area where clashes have continued since those July 4 attacks — when it came under fire in the early hours, sources said.
A spokesperson for the FLA stepped forward to claim responsibility for the attack, though it remains unclear whether JNIM played any role. Mali’s military did not respond to requests for comment.
Neighboring country Niger, which is allied with Mali, provided air support during the fighting, all three sources confirmed. Niger’s military was not reachable for comment.
The FLA and JNIM previously joined forces in April for a high-profile coordinated operation that struck the airport in Mali’s capital city of Bamako and resulted in the death of the country’s defense minister.
Africa Corps has been supporting Mali’s armed forces in their ongoing battle against insurgent groups that have destabilized the West African nation since 2012.
