A convoy carrying Malian soldiers and fighters from Russia’s paramilitary Africa Corps was attacked in northern Mali on Thursday, with separatist fighters claiming responsibility.
The attack comes as fighting between the two sides has intensified since an operation by al Qaeda-affiliated Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) and the Tuareg-led rebel group Azad Liberation Front (FLA) in April.
Mali’s then defense minister was killed in a high-profile operation and the airport in the capital Bamako was attacked.
What do we know about the latest rebel attack?
The Reuters news agency quoted a security source as saying that the convoy was carrying more than 200 Russian fighters and more than 100 Malian soldiers when it was attacked. It was headed towards the northern city of Anifis, where fighting is reportedly still ongoing.
French news agency AFP quoted a Malian security source as saying that a convoy of “dozens of vehicles with air cover” fell into “another ambush”.
Reuters and AFP both cited Tuareg rebel sources in claiming responsibility for the attack.
“Our troops joined the battle this Thursday near Tabancourt (northern Mali) against a reinforcement force composed of 90% Russian mercenaries and Malian soldiers,” Mohamed Elmouloud Ramadan, spokesman for the FLA rebel group, told AFP.
Rebels claim advance in Mali
FLA rebels claimed control of Anifice, a key position to maintain their hold on the northern town of Kidal, which the group had captured with JNIM in April.
However, Russian paramilitaries and Malian troops remain in control of a military camp in Anfis, AFP reports.
The attack follows coordinated attacks by JNIM and the FLA on Saturday, which hit another military convoy and other military targets across Mali.
Mali has been plagued by insurgency since 2012, but two successive military coups in 2020 and 2021 and support from Russia’s Africa Corps have so far failed to quell the unrest.
Edited by: Zack Crellin
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