In Mali, Islamist militants and separatists claim coordinated attacks.

The jihadists of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), affiliated with Al-Qaeda, claimed a series of coordinated attacks on strategic positions of the ruling junta in Mali on Saturday, alongside Tuareg rebels in the outskirts of Bamako and several important cities in the Sahelian country.

Mali has been plagued by jihadist conflicts and violence for over a decade, but since the military junta took power in 2020, these attacks by jihadists and the Tuareg rebels of the Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA) are unprecedented.

In September 2024, JNIM claimed a dual attack on the Bamako military airport, and the gendarmerie school, resulting in over 70 deaths and 200 injuries, according to security sources.

Fighting between the army and assailants began Saturday morning and intensified in the afternoon on the outskirts of Bamako and in several cities, especially in Kidal, the stronghold of armed separatist groups in the north.

The FLA, a separatist group claiming the Azawad territory in northern Mali, announced control over Kidal, a city recaptured by the Malian army in November 2023 with support from Russian paramilitary group, Wagner, after over a decade of rebel control.

According to residents, the Defense Minister’s residence was mostly destroyed by a powerful explosion. His aides denied claims that Mr. Camara was injured.

“Wide-scale Offensive”

In Bamako on Saturday afternoon, helicopters that conducted morning airstrikes were still flying over the capital near the airport, as streets gradually filled with onlookers.

Several roads in the capital leading to military facilities, the airport, and the presidential palace in Koulouba were sealed off by security forces.

“We face a wide-scale coordinated offensive across the country at a level unprecedented since 2012 when the government lost half the country,” said analyst Charlie Werb from Aldebaran Threat Consultants, referring to serious security failures in Bamako.

The FLA also claimed to have taken control of several positions in the Gao region, while forces in Kati, Kidal, Sevare, and Gao are under attack. A research…

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In a rare move, JNIM on Saturday evening addressed Russia and expressed a desire to “neutralize the Russian part of the conflict” in exchange for not targeting Russians in Mali and building a balanced and effective future relationship.

However, the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the actions of the terrorists as a direct threat to the stability of Mali, a friend of Russia, and with potentially very negative consequences for the entire region.

Since 2012, Mali has been facing a deep security crisis fueled by the violence of jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as communal criminal groups and separatists.