Fighters from Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-linked group, have reportedly established checkpoints around Mali’s capital Bamako and seized the northern town of Tessalit. Reuters reported Friday that JNIM called on Malians to rise up and overthrow the junta, implementing Islamic law.

The developments come days after a series of attacks by JNIM and Tuareg separatists from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) killed Defense Minister Sadio Camara. Social media videos verified by Reuters show armed fighters inside the Amachach base in Tessalit, with military vehicles moving around and raising the FLA flag.

Sources close to the Azawad movement, which seeks independence for northern Mali, said fighters took control of the base after the withdrawal of Malian army and Russia’s African Corps. Russia is the primary foreign backer of Mali’s military government.

JNIM claimed Thursday it had captured the Hombori base in central Mali and two checkpoints near Bamako, threatening a complete siege of the capital. Russia’s African Corps denied the abandonment of Hombori, stating that helicopters delivered ammunition and evacuated wounded Malian soldiers.

Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque reported that the Malian military’s lack of response to the rebel advances is surprising, with four major military camps in the north now under armed group control. “It seems Malian forces are not even putting up a fight up north,” he said. Mali’s military leaders seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, and official authorities have yet to comment on the latest reports.

Source: www.aljazeera.com