Agency Report
At least 50 Malian soldiers were killed in an attack by Tuareg separatists and jihadists as they left the strategic northern town of Anefis, officials said on Sunday.
Also in the Republic of Niger, 16 soldiers were neutralized by non state actors over the weekend, revealing an escalation of security threats in the Sahel.
In Mali, the attack on the army convoy leaving Anefis occurred on Saturday, following weeks of fighting with both sides attempting to take control.
In early July, fighters from the Tuareg separatist FLA and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) briefly captured the town and encircled a military base used by the Malian army and Russian paramilitaries from Africa Corps.
JNIM and the FLA claimed responsibility for the attack.
“The provisional toll of the attack is extremely heavy – more than 50 soldiers killed and at least 24 prisoners,” a local elected official, close to the ruling junta, told AFP.
The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said it was the deadliest attack suffered by the Malian army in years.
“Some of our men were simply executed,” said a source within the Malian army, adding that an investigation was underway to determine any tactical failures.
The Russian paramilitaries supporting the army had already arrived in Gao, their destination, when the attack happened and did not suffer any losses, sources told AFP.
“No Russians were killed. The dead are from the army and the state-backed militias,” said a community leader from the Gao region.
On Saturday, the army acknowledged the convoy had “fallen into an ambush laid by terrorist armed groups”, without providing casualty figures.
Mali has been ruled by a military government since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021. The junta has struggled to deliver on its promise to restore security after years of jihadist and separatist unrest.
In Niger, 16 soldiers were killed in an attack in the west, the country’s ANP state news agency reported Sunday.
“A terrorist attack targeting a military deployment in the Tera area (in Tillaberi region) on Friday July 17 caused 16 martyrs, 23 wounded of which nine are serious,” ANP said.
It added that there were also “15 terrorists killed”.
The attack took place near the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso.
“Operations to search for the enemy, conduct sweeps and secure the area are continuing in the area,” the ANP said.
Niger for the past decade has faced deadly attacks by jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The military regime that took power in July 2023 has failed to contain to violence
