May 4, 2024

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The Malian army is still on the offensive towards the Kidal region, indicating its intentions

The Malian army is still on the offensive towards the Kidal region, indicating its intentions

In Mali, a Malian army deployment group that left Gao on the morning of Monday October 2 for the Kidal region came under a violent attack from the CSP in Tabancourt, 200 kilometers north of Gao, yesterday Thursday. This convoy of about a hundred Fama vehicles and their Russian proxies from the Wagner group arrived near Anefis at the entrance to the Kidal area, where fresh fighting broke out. The military and Fama presented conflicting versions of these conflicts. In a press release issued on the evening of October 5, Bamako, for the first time, specified the objectives of its attack.

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The Malian army and CSP rebels agree on at least one thing: the last battle on October 5 took place ten kilometers south of Anefis. In a press release issued last night, the Malian army “ was broken up by air-ground operations “the” Defense screen “The enemy.

Fama claims to have destroyed many Pick-ups and « A very significant human toll on the terrorist side », has been used by Mali’s interim authorities indiscriminately for three and a half weeks to refer to jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda or Islamic State, such as Jnim, and groups that signed the 2015 peace deal.

Opposite versions

The CSP reports only eight injuries, no deaths, and denies Malian soldiers access to the Anefis area, which is located at the entrance to the Kidal area. For the time being, the versions are too contradictory to be independently verified.

After all, in its press release, the Malian army indicated for the first time the purpose of its attack: ” All areas were initially resumed in the hands of UN forces “. Military bases located in Aguelhoc, Tessalit and Kidal, strongholds of the rebel groups, must leave MINUSMA soon as part of its withdrawal from Mali.

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The Malian military did not specify the order or timeframe for these planned relaunches. All of these bases are located in areas under the control of the CSP, under security arrangements included in the 2014 ceasefire and 2015 peace agreement. Mali’s interim authorities today assume that the national army is tasked with settling the camps. and everywhere else in the national territory.

CSP charges

In a press release issued yesterday (Thursday) evening, the CSP accuses Malian soldiers and Wagner’s Russian auxiliaries of killing 17 civilians in Ersen, between Darkind and Anefis. It gives its assessment of the attacks on the Bamba and Dausa military camps last Sunday and Wednesday: CSP says it killed a total of 34 Malian soldiers and captured 8. She vowed to push back on these attacks.

Read moreThe Malian army, which has been hit hard in Tabancourt, continues its offensive