Northern Mali: Who is behind the fires

Northern Mali has recently become the scene of intense clashes between armed groups and regular troops. Five questions to understand the situation.

1) What happened in Tinsavatan?

On July 27, near Tinzahuatna, on the border between Mali and Algeria, the Malian army encountered a coalition of mainly Tuareg separatist armed groups (CSP-DPA), allied with terrorists from the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate. The rebels had the upper hand due to a “sandstorm”, which would have prevented the mobilization of air resources.

Mali’s army acknowledged “significant” deaths among its ranks, while the separatists congratulated themselves on a “complete victory”.

“FAMa forces (Malian armed forces) were surrounded by a coalition of terrorist forces from the Sahel region and violent fighting ensued before the arrival of reinforcements. The bravery and exemplary determination of our soldiers could not avoid heavy casualties and loss of life,” the army headquarters stressed in a press release broadcast on Malian state television, without providing specific figures.

2) What is the situation in northern Mali?

In the first quarter of 2023, the Malian army launched a large-scale operation to reconquer the north of the country. As a result, separatist armed groups lost control of several areas in the north. Kidal, a bastion of separatist demands and a major sovereignty issue for the central state, was taken over by the army.

Russian troops from the Wagner Group contributed to the operation amid allegations of abuses of civilians, something the authorities have consistently denied.

In addition to independent rebels, Mali has suffered attacks since 2012 by terrorist groups linked to al-Qaeda, particularly the Islamic State group.

Since 2022, the transitional military regime led by Colonel Assimi Gota has increased its break with France, the United Nations and its European partners. He turned to Russia and established a military partnership with it.