Fresh clashes in northern Mali have raised tensions in the country’s ongoing security crisis, after Tuareg separatists and allied militants attacked a convoy carrying Russian mercenaries and Malian soldiers.
The convoy was reportedly moving to reinforce troops stationed at a military camp in Anefis, a strategic location near the northern town of Kidal.
The attack follows coordinated assaults by Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM militants and the Tuareg-led FLA separatist group, which recently intensified operations in the region after capturing Kidal and killing Mali’s defence minister.
The FLA has claimed control of Anefis, a position considered important to maintaining influence over Kidal, located about 100 kilometres away. However, Russian paramilitaries from Africa Corps and Malian forces are still holding a military camp there.
A reinforcement convoy from the northern city of Gao was ambushed on Sunday, while another convoy came under attack on Thursday, with fighting reportedly continuing.
FLA spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane said the group engaged a reinforcement force made up largely of Russian mercenaries and Malian soldiers.
A Malian security source confirmed the ambush, saying the convoy involved dozens of vehicles supported by air cover. The FLA released footage showing heavy gunfire in a desert area.
Mali has been governed by a military junta since coups in 2020 and 2021, with authorities struggling to end a security crisis that has persisted since 2012.
