Militants linked to al Qaeda and a Tuareg-led separatist group ambushed a Malian army convoy in the north of the country over the weekend, with a source close to the rebels saying more than 50 soldiers and allied Russian fighters were killed and others taken hostage.
The attack is the latest in a string of escalating strikes by the two groups, which teamed up for coordinated nationwide assaults in April that claimed the life of Mali’s defence minister and struck the airport in Bamako. This month, they launched a fresh offensive targeting the town of Anefis.
According to statements from Mali’s armed forces, the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), and the al Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), the ambush took place on Saturday between Anefis and Gao. Mali’s military said it occurred in the Tabrichat area and that retaliatory airstrikes afterward killed at least 20 insurgents.
The FLA said in a statement that “dozens” of Malian troops and Russian Africa Corps paramilitaries had been “neutralised,” alongside significant material losses. A source close to the group put the death toll among pro-government fighters above 50, though Reuters has not been able to verify the figure independently.
JNIM released footage online purporting to show soldiers surrendering with their hands raised, as well as rebels shooting at some of the captives — footage Reuters has also not verified. Despite the assault, the army has held onto control of Anefis.
The escalating violence adds further pressure on Mali’s military government, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021 on promises of restoring security across the Sahel nation.
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