Sunday July 5, 2026
A wave of insurgent assaults hit military targets across Mali on Saturday, reaching from the country’s far north to an area south of Bamako and underscoring the mounting pressure on the Sahel state’s military rulers.
Mali’s armed forces said the attacks struck positions in Anefis, Aguelhoc and Gao in the north, Sevare in central Mali, and Kenioroba in the south.
A spokesperson for the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) told Reuters the group took part in the operations.
Later on Saturday, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), al Qaeda’s regional affiliate, also said it was behind the attacks. In a statement, the group said it had targeted and taken control of at least seven positions held by the army or allied pro-government fighters. Reuters was not able to independently confirm JNIM’s account.
The FLA and JNIM previously joined forces in April for a coordinated and high-profile assault that struck Bamako’s airport and killed the defence minister.
Mali’s army said its troops had beaten back Saturday’s assaults and that the situation was “totally under control”. It said 20 “terrorists” were killed in Sevare and six in Gao, while one pro-government fighter was killed in Gao and four others were wounded.
ROCKET ATTACKS AND EXPLOSIONS REPORTED
Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, the FLA spokesperson, said the group’s fighters had moved into Anefis, in the northeastern Kidal region. Government forces and Russian troops were stationed there after the April attacks, following their earlier expulsion from the strategic town of Kidal. Reuters could not independently verify his statement.
In Gao, a local official said gunfire and rocket fire aimed at a military camp had been ongoing since before dawn, although responsibility for the attack was not immediately clear.
“No one could go out this morning… the Malian Armed Forces have blocked all the streets. We’re in our homes,” a Gao resident said. “The noise was so intense it felt like the roof was going to collapse.”
A resident in Sevare said bursts of gunfire early in the morning were followed by four powerful explosions in the western part of the city at about 8 a.m. local time (0800 GMT). Around 10 a.m., even stronger blasts could be heard in the town, the resident said.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. Kenioroba hosts a prison where members of Mali’s political opposition are held. A diplomatic source and a security source said the prison came under attack, though one of them said security forces drove the assailants back. A government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
INSECURITY PERSISTS DESPITE PROMISES FROM MILITARY LEADERS
The breadth of the attacks points to the continuing inability of Mali’s military leadership, which took power in coups in 2020 and 2021, to deliver on pledges to restore security.
In September 2024, JNIM attacked a paramilitary police training school near Bamako’s airport, killing about 70 people. More recently, the group has imposed a fuel blockade that has deprived the capital’s residents and businesses of electricity and essential supplies.
Mali’s government has lately sought stronger ties with Washington, which has been trying to renew security cooperation and examine mining opportunities.
Russia, whose Africa Corps forces support Mali’s government, pledged to remain alongside the country after the April attacks.
Jihadist violence has also destabilised neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, which, like Mali, have turned to Russia for security assistance.
Reporting by Mali newsroom; Additional reporting by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Portia Crowe; Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; Editing by Ros Russell and Franklin Paul
