Coordinated attacks were launched across Mali by the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) targeting northern cities including Timbuktu, along with al-Qaeda’s affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). The assaults hit areas around the capital Bamako and the city of Kati, home to a major military base.
Mali’s Defense Minister Sadio Camara was killed in Kati when a vehicle-borne explosive detonated outside his residence. The Malian army described the attackers as “terrorist groups” and claimed to have repelled many of them.
The northern city of Kidal, a longtime stronghold of Tuareg separatists, is reported to have been seized by FLA forces. An agreement was signed allowing fighters from the Russian Africa Corps (successor to the Wagner Group) and Malian troops to evacuate safely from the city. Russian forces had helped the Malian authorities retake Kidal since 2023.
The attacks occurred amid ongoing instability under Mali’s military regime led by General Assimi Goïta, who seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021. The junta has relied heavily on Russian mercenaries after expelling French and UN forces, yet much of the north and center remains contested by rebels and separatists.
Mali attacks, Sadio Camara killed, Tuareg FLA, JNIM al-Qaeda, Timbuktu attacks, Kati explosion, Kidal captured, Mali terrorism, Russian Wagner Africa Corps Mali, Assimi Goïta regime
