In Mali, Islamist and separatist militants claim coordinated attacks

CONTEXT: Jihadists from the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM), affiliated with Al-Qaeda, claimed a series of coordinated attacks with Tuareg rebels against strategic positions of the ruling junta in Mali.

FACT CHECK: The content discusses recent attacks in Mali by jihadist groups and separatist rebels, causing casualties and raising concerns about the stability of the country.

Jihadists from the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM), affiliated to Al-Qaeda, claimed Saturday a series of coordinated attacks with the Tuareg rebellion against strategic positions of the ruling junta in Mali, on the outskirts of Bamako and in several major cities in the Sahelian country.

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

In September 2024, JNIM claimed a rare double attack on the Bamako military airport, the capital, and on the gendarmerie school, which resulted in over 70 deaths and 200 injured, according to security sources.

Fighting between the army and assailants, which began early Saturday, continued intensively in the afternoon on the outskirts of Bamako and in several cities, particularly in Kidal, a stronghold of armed separatist groups in the north.

This led to 16 civilian and military injuries and “limited material damage,” according to a government statement on Saturday evening, which also stated that “the situation is totally under control in all the attacked localities.”

The FLA, a separatist group claiming the territory of Azawad in northern Mali, announced that they control Kidal. The city was retaken in November 2023 by the Malian army, supported by fighters from the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, ending more than a decade of control by rebel groups.

In a statement on Saturday evening, JNIM, which has been fighting against the military in power in Bamako for years, proclaimed a “victory,” stating that it was the result of diligent work, coordination with partners, and “thanks to the active participation of our brothers from the Azawad Liberation Front.”

They claimed responsibility for the attacks targeting the Malian president’s office, Assimi Goïta, the Malian defense minister’s office, Sadio Camara, the international airport of Bamako, and military sites in the neighboring town of Kati.

Uncertainty surrounds the fate of the defense minister, the head of Malian intelligence, and the head of the Malian junta.

“Vast Offensive”

On Saturday afternoon in Bamako, helicopters—after carrying out airstrikes in the morning—were still hovering over the capital near the airport, as reported by an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist. Streets had been deserted since morning, but observers began to cautiously emerge.

Several arteries of the capital leading to military infrastructure, the airport, and the Koulouba presidential palace were blocked by security forces.

We are facing a coordinated vast offensive across the country at an unprecedented level since 2012, when the government lost half of the country,” said Charlie Werb, an analyst from Aldebaran Threat Consultants (ATC).

The FLA also claimed to have taken control of several positions in the Gao region (north), according to social media statements. Their spokesperson, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, mentioned that “several positions have already been taken by the Azawad forces.”

Gunfire continued, albeit more sporadically, on Saturday afternoon in the neighboring town of Bamako, Kati, which houses the residence of the junta leader, General Assimi Goïta. An attack was reported in Sévaré (center) as well.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed its “sincerest condolences to the victims and their families” and strongly condemned “today’s terrorist attack in Mali.”

Message to Russia

The African Union (AU) strongly condemned the attacks, stating they “risk exposing civilian populations to significant dangers.”

After announcing that “unidentified armed terrorist groups” attacked certain points and barracks in the capital and interior on Saturday morning, with ongoing combat, the Malian army later declared in a new statement that the situation was “under control,” despite gunfire still being heard, and that “several terrorists have been neutralized and equipment destroyed.”

“JNIM and the FLA launched coordinated attacks in Mali… Many army and Africa Corps (Russian paramilitary organization, ex-Wagner) positions are being targeted in Kati, Kidal, Sévaré, and Gao,” summarized Hasret Kargin, an Africa researcher at Mintel World’s intelligence consulting firm.

“The chances of retaking cities like Kidal and Gao without military support are very slim. Air support will be the decisive factor for both sides.”

In its Saturday evening statement, JNIM made an unprecedented move, addressing Russia and “announced” its intention to “neutralize the Russian part of the conflict, in exchange for the non-targeting of the latter and coordination to build a balanced and effective future relationship”—in other words, proposing not to attack Russians in Mali in exchange for Moscow’s neutrality in the current situation.

However, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the “actions of terrorists, which represent a direct threat to the stability of Mali, a friend of Russia, and could have very negative consequences for the entire region,” late on Saturday night to Sunday.

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