Almost a week after rival armed groups carried out a series of coordinated attacks across Mali, the country's military government has begun restructuring and taking measures to secure the country.
On April 25, al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for attacks on military sites across the country, including in the capital, Bamako. JNIM said it had “captured” the city of Kidal in the north in a coordinated operation with the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg-dominated rebel group.
The series of attacks marked one of the biggest security crises the country has faced since at least 2012. JNIM controls swaths of rural territory, especially in the northern and central regions, and has active cells located around the capital.
Meanwhile, armed Tuareg separatists from the FLA, fighting for an independent Tuareg nation in the north, are clashing with the military and allied Russian mercenaries deployed since 2021. Together, FLA and JNIM now control Kidal but also aim to take Gao, the largest city in the north, as well as Menaka and Timbuktu.
The leader of Mali's military government, Assimi Goita, has taken on the role of defence minister following the killing of the previous minister, Sadio Camara, in last week's attacks. Camara died when a car laden with explosives driven by a suicide attacker drove into his residence.
At least 23 people were killed in the fighting. The UN human rights office (OHCHR) reported “gravely concerning reports of extrajudicial killings and abductions, allegedly carried out by members of the security forces.” Lawyer and politician Mountaga Tall was abducted from his home, and three relatives of exiled politician Oumar Mariko were also reportedly abducted.
Malian authorities are investigating soldiers suspected of involvement in the attacks. Critics have called it a witch-hunt. OHCHR also warned of hunger in the village of Diafarabe in the Mopti region, which is under a JNIM blockade.
Previously, European nations, primarily France, helped the government fight unrest for over a decade, but they withdrew in 2023 following a breakdown in relations with Mali's military government and the country's growing alliance with Russia. In December 2021, Goita invited the Russian mercenary group Wagner to support the military administration. Wagner claimed to withdraw in June 2024, but Russian fighters remained under the banner of the Africa Corps.
Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque reported that approximately 2,000 paramilitary fighters are currently on the ground protecting Mali's military leadership. Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces were regrouping and had helped thwart a coup attempt.
On May 4, Al Jazeera obtained exclusive footage showing dozens of Malian soldiers being held prisoner by Tuareg separatists in northern Mali. About 130 Malian soldiers have been taken captive in Kidal. The FLA claims to respect human rights, but human rights groups have accused JNIM fighters of rape, torture and abuse.
Source: www.aljazeera.com