Jihadist fighters and Tuareg separatists have seized the northern Malian town of Kidal after coordinated assaults on junta‑controlled positions across the country, local officials and sources close to the regional governor said. The loss follows two days of intense fighting between the Malian army, backed by Russian mercenaries, and rebel groups, deepening uncertainty over the future of the military government.
The offensive began at dawn on Saturday, targeting several strategic towns and areas around the capital, Bamako. By Sunday, a source close to the governor confirmed that government forces had withdrawn from Kidal, leaving the town in the hands of jihadists and the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). Residents reported seeing Malian soldiers and their Russian allies depart the settlement.
The FLA, a separatist movement that claims the territory of Azawad in northern Mali, announced over the weekend that it now has “total” control of Kidal, delivering a significant setback to the junta. In response, the army’s chief of staff told state broadcaster ORTM that a “readjustment” and “redeployment” of troops would occur in the Anefis area, roughly 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Kidal.
Kidal, long a stronghold for pro‑independence forces, had been recaptured by the Malian army in November 2023 with the assistance of Russian Wagner mercenaries. That operation was widely portrayed as a symbolic victory for the junta. The recent reversal underscores the fragility of the government’s hold on the north.
The current turmoil is part of a broader security crisis that has plagued Mali since 2012. That year, a Tuareg rebellion seeking autonomy merged with jihadist groups linked to al‑Qaeda, prompting a coup that ousted President Amadou Toumani Touré. French forces intervened in 2013 under Operation Serval, later replaced by the broader Operation Barkhane, while the United Nations deployed the MINUSMA peacekeeping mission.
Despite a 2015 peace agreement between the state and northern separatists, jihadist attacks persisted and intensified after successive coups in 2020 and 2021 that brought General Assimi Goïta to power. Relations with Western partners deteriorated, leading to the withdrawal of French troops and UN forces by 2022 and the recruitment of Russian private‑military contractors, first Wagner and later the Africa Corps.
Violence resurfaced in August 2023 when Tuareg‑aligned groups clashed with the army in the north, and separatists launched an offensive on Bourem in September. The same period saw a surge in attacks by the al‑Qaeda‑linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM). In January 2024, the junta terminated the 2015 peace deal, and in July 2024 government forces suffered heavy losses near Tinzaouatene. A September 2024 JNIM assault on Bamako’s military airport and police training school killed more than 70 people.
Mali, together with Niger and Burkina Faso, has formed the Alliance of Sahel States, planning a 5,000‑person force to combat jihadist groups. The capture of Kidal highlights the ongoing volatility in northern Mali and raises questions about the junta’s capacity to maintain territorial control and stabilize the country.
