Mali has come under a fresh wave of coordinated attacks after jihadist fighters and their separatist Tuareg allies launched simultaneous assaults on several towns, military positions and a major prison early Saturday, according to the army, residents and security sources.
The attacks began at about 5:00 a.m. local time and targeted the northern towns of Gao, Anefis and Aguelhok, the central town of Sevare, as well as the prison complex in Kenieroba, located a short distance from the capital, Bamako.
The latest offensive comes just over two months after similar coordinated attacks by the same armed groups against Mali’s ruling military junta, an operation that resulted in the death of the country’s defence minister.
Spokesman for the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, said several military positions had already fallen during the fighting in Anefis.
“Several positions have fallen, but fighting is still underway inside the city,” he said.
However, a resident in Anefis reported that government forces were continuing to resist the offensive.
“Armed groups are in the town, but the army is still putting up resistance. The camp has not yet fallen,” the resident said.
Anefis and Aguelhok remain among the last locations where Malian government troops maintain a military presence in the Kidal region following the large-scale attacks carried out on April 25 and 26.
During those offensives, separatist fighters seized the strategically important city of Kidal, dealing a significant setback to the military government.
In Gao, residents reported hearing sustained gunfire and powerful explosions near an army base as fighting intensified.
Meanwhile, security sources in Sevare said loud explosions echoed through the town around dawn before military aircraft were seen flying overhead, although the exact cause of the blasts was not immediately confirmed.
The violence also extended to the Kenieroba prison complex, one of Mali’s main detention facilities for suspected jihadists and other inmates.
A prisoner inside the facility described the tense situation, saying, “We are under our beds, the gunfire continues.”
The latest attacks underscore the persistent security crisis facing Mali, where government forces continue to battle jihadist insurgents and separatist movements despite ongoing military operations aimed at restoring stability across the country.
