Insurgents launch coordinated attacks across five locations in Mali, targeting army positions

Insurgents in Mali staged attacks in five locations early on Saturday, including a northern town where government and Russian fighters are based and a town south of the capital Bamako, the latest threat to the landlocked Sahel nation's embattled leaders.

The targeted cities and towns included Anefis and Aguelhoc in the north, Gao and Sevare in central Mali, and Kenioroba in the south, the army said in a statement published on state TV and its official social media channels, adding that the situation was "being monitored".

A spokesperson for a Tuareg-led rebel group, the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), said it was involved in Saturday's attacks. The group partnered with the regional al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), in April in a coordinated, high-profile operation that hit the airport in the capital Bamako and killed the defence minister.

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There was no immediate claim of responsibility from JNIM.

Rocket attacks and explosions reported 

The FLA's spokesperson, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, said the group's fighters had entered Anefis, in the northeastern Kidal region. Government and Russian troops were deployed there after the April attacks, having previously been driven from the strategic town of Kidal.

Reuters could not independently verify the claim.

In Gao, a local official said gunfire and rocket attacks targeting a military camp had continued since before dawn, though it was not immediately clear who was responsible.

In Sevare, a resident told Reuters that early morning gunfire was followed by four large explosions in the west of the city at around 8 a.m. local time (0800 GMT). Calm appeared to have returned afterwards, the resident said.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.

Kenioroba is home to a prison holding members of Mali's political opposition. It was not immediately clear whether the facility was targeted.

A government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Insecurity persists despite promises from military leaders

The attacks highlight the failure of Mali's military leaders, who seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, to deliver the improved security they promised.

In September 2024, JNIM attacked a paramilitary police training school near the Bamako airport, killing about 70 ⁠people. More recently, ​it carried out a fuel blockade that has starved the capital's residents and businesses of power ​and supplies.

Mali's government has recently pursued closer ties with Washington, which has sought to rebuild cooperation on security and explore mining opportunities.

Russia, whose Africa Corps forces are backing the government, vowed to stand by Mali after the attacks in April.

Jihadist violence has also rocked neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, which like Mali have turned to Russia for security assistance.

In June, JNIM claimed responsibility for an attack on the airport and military airbase in Niger's ‌capital, the second assault on the facility this year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)