Mali Kidal fighting resumed on Sunday between Tuareg rebels and government forces backed by Russian fighters, a rebel spokesman and a local politician told AFP. Mohamed Ramdane, a spokesman for the Azawad Liberation Front, said rebels were trying to drive out the remaining Russian fighters who had taken refuge in a camp in Kidal.
A local elected official confirmed renewed clashes in the northern city, saying residents heard gunfire as the Malian army, Russian fighters and Tuareg rebels fought. The fighting followed coordinated attacks launched on Saturday by an Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group and Tuareg rebels against the army across junta-ruled Mali.
The Azawad Liberation Front said on Saturday that its forces had seized Kidal, a Tuareg stronghold, with support from jihadist fighters. Kidal was retaken by the Malian army, backed by Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group, in November 2023 after more than a decade of rebel control. The rebel coalition also claimed to have taken positions in the northern Gao region.
Mali’s government said Saturday’s attacks wounded 16 civilians and soldiers and caused limited material damage. It said the situation was under control in all the attacked localities. The attacks hit the outskirts of Bamako, Mali’s capital, and several towns across the Sahel region, according to the government statement.
Read: Mali government, rebels sign ceasefire deal – African Union
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the violence in Mali and called for coordinated international support to address violent extremism, terrorism and humanitarian needs in the Sahel, according to spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
