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The clashes began with a military offensive in the northern
Kidal region on Thursday, the Malian army said in a statement.
On Friday, the Malian military's logistics convoy was ambushed
before the attack was repelled, it added.
The separatists reported they killed “dozens” of Malian soldiers
and fighters with the Kremlin-controlled African Corps in the
ambush.
The Azawad separatist movement has been fighting for years to
create the state of Azawad in northern Mali. They once drove
security forces out of the region before a 2015 peace deal that
has since collapsed was signed to pave the way for some
ex-rebels to be integrated into the Malian military.
“We recovered 12 trucks loaded with cereals, tankers full of
diesel, one military pickup, and one armored vehicles from the
30 vehicles in the convoy,” Mohamed Maouloud Ramadan, spokesman
for the Azawad separatists, said in a statement that
acknowledged the death of three of their members.
Viral videos shared by the separatists showed military trucks on
fire in a large swathe of desert land amid gunfire as
gun-wielding hooded young men posed in front of the trucks. The
videos also showed bodies with uniforms that resemble those of
the Malian army. The Associated Press could not independently
verify the videos.
The latest clashes show how difficult it is for security forces
in Mali to operate in difficult terrains like Kidal, according
to Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy
Center for the New South think tank.
“It’s difficult to gather actionable intelligence to protect
their convoys, and this gives a significant advantage to armed
and jihadist groups”, said Lyammouri.
The latest attack occurred days after Russia’s mercenary group
Wagner – which for more than three years helped Malian security
forces in the fight against armed groups – announced it was
leaving the country. The Africa Corps, under the direct command
of the Russian defense ministry, said it will remain in Mali.
There are around 2,000 mercenaries in Mali, according to U.S.
officials. It is unclear how many are with Wagner and how many
are part of the Africa Corps.
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