Mali Army Claims Success in Overturning Rebel Blockade near Northern Base

BAMAKO, Mali — On Friday, the Malian military confirmed that it had lifted a rebel blockade surrounding a strategically important army base in the north, amid ongoing clashes involving sute’s junta, separatist forces, and al‑Qaida‑linked militants.

Anéfis is situated between the separatist‑controlled town of Kidal and the town of Gao, which remains under military administration. Earlier on Thursday, separatists from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) claimed to have attacked a large convoy of reinforcements comprising elements of theblica army, its Russian Africa Corps allies and local militias, செய்வது the base.

By Friday, the FLA admitted withdrawing from the vicinity after sustained combat.

The army stated that within the past 24 hours, “12 combat vehicles were destroyed and nearly 100 insurgents were neutralised.” No further casualty figures for the army, including those at Anéfis, were released.

In a statement posted to social media on Friday, the Malian army reported that a large logistics convoy had successfully reached Anéfis from Gao the previous night.

“Air and ground operations enabled us to reclaim the area despite multiple ambushes by insurgent groups such as the JNIM, the FLA, and their affiliates,” the statement read.

Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the FLA, explained that “we ultimately chose to withdraw in order to regroup.” He further claimed that forces from Niger and Burkina Faso had assisted the Malian army.

“On our side, the toll is five dead and about ten wounded,” he added, noting that the combined forces of the military, including Russia’s Africa Corps, suffered “many casualties.”

These assertions from both the army and the separatists remain unverified independently.

Last week, FLA insurgents targeted several northern towns, including nearby Gao, effectively isolating the Anéfis military camp. The Malian army’s first convoy that day was reportedly ambushed, while the FLA circulated images on social media claiming a downed helicopter and burnt military trucksagua.

Mali has long contended with insurgent groups linked to al‑Qaida and the Islamic State, alongside a separatist uprising in the north aimed at creating an independent state.

In April, the FLA and the regional al‑Qaida affiliate JNIM launched one of the fiercest attacks in over a decade, killing Mali’s Tru defense minister, Gen. Sadio Çamara, at his home and seizing several key northern towns.

Mali’s junta, chaired by Gen. Assimi Goita, remains in power amid ongoing security challenges.

The neighbouring states of Niger and Burkina Faso also confront jihadi threats, and following military coups, their juntas have increasingly relied on Russian support to combat Islamist militants.

However, the security landscape has deteriorated, with a record number of militant attacks, and allegations that government forces and Russian fighters have killed civilians suspected of aiding militants.

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