Rebels attacked several cities in northern, central and southern Mali on Saturday and targeted military bases and a prison near the capital Bamako.
The attacks include the Tuareg separatist group FLA, which wants an independent independent state in northern Mali, and JNIM, which aims to impose strict Islamic rule.
The violence, along with the attacks in April, highlights the larger security problem facing Mali’s military leaders, who staged coups in 2020 and 2021 and promised to end a more than decade-long insurgency.
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The army said the attacks took place in Gao, a major city in the northeast, Aguelhoc and Enifice in the far north Kidal region and the central city of Sevare, home to a large military base.
Fighting also broke out near Kenirouba prison, about 60 kilometers (37 mi) southwest of Bamako.
Residents of Gao heard gunfire and rockets near a military camp. People in Sevare reported hearing huge explosions early in the morning. The plane later flew overhead, he said.
The FLA said its fighters entered Anfis and captured some army posts.
A resident said armed men had been seen in the town and soldiers were still fighting.
By afternoon, an army statement said the situation across the country was “completely under control”, and reported that more than 20 attackers had been killed. The rebels said fighting was continuing at various places.
Bodies of fighters and burnt motorcycles were shown at many places on social media.
Constant threat from Tuareg, Islamists
Saturday’s attacks follow a larger coordinated attack by the same groups in late April.
Rebels captured the northern town of Kidal and killed Defense Minister General Sadio Camara, a key figure in the military junta.
Camara died during a coordinated attack when attackers used a suicide car bomb on his residence in Kati, a garrison town near Bamako, followed by gunfire.
JNIM has also attacked fuel trucks bound for Bamako, causing fuel shortages around the capital.
The FLA and JNIM had previously clashed over major ideological differences, but had put aside those rivalries about a year before the April joint attacks.
Repeated attacks have raised concerns that Mali’s forces are stretched and struggling to regain full control of large parts of the country.
Security has deteriorated since the coup, after which the junta turned its back on French military support for Russia and promised a return to stability.
But analysts say recent attacks show the rebels are more daring and coordinated than before.
The rebellion lasted for 14 years
Mali’s rebellion erupted in 2012 when Tuareg rebels and jihadists took over large parts of the north.
The Tuareg (FLA) are a nomadic people spread across the Sahel region who have long sought greater autonomy following complaints of marginalization by Bamako.
Jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) have taken advantage of the resulting instability. They have established strongholds throughout northern and central Mali.
The rebellion has since spread to Burkina Faso and Niger. These neighbors also have military rulers and close ties to Moscow.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
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