The Malian army has abandoned several positions in Gao, its second-largest military region, after fierce fighting over the weekend, locals said on Tuesday.
The withdrawal follows fierce fighting at the weekend, pitting the army against allied jihadists and Tuareg separatists.
“The military has abandoned its position in Labbezanga, near the Niger border. They have withdrawn to Ansogo,” a local politician told AFP on condition of anonymity.
A resident of Labbezanga village, which is southeast of Gao town, also confirmed the troops’ departure.
The Gao region is the ruling junta’s second-largest stronghold, after that of Kati, which is a garrison town that was targeted in the weekend attacks.
Kidal, another key northern town, has fallen under the control of the Tuareg rebels and their Islamist allies since the weekend.
The allied armed groups launched coordinated attacks on strategic junta positions on Saturday, including near the capital Bamako.
The Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) – Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, a major jihadist coalition in West Africa’s Sahel region, acting as the official Al-Qaeda affiliate in Mali – announced a siege of Bamako, capital of Mali, on Tuesday.
In a video on social media, JNIM spokesman Abu Hudheifah al-Bambari, aka Bina Diarra, announced the beginning of the total siege of Bamako, warning civilians not to get involved if they don’t want to become targets.
Russia warns rebels ‘regrouping’
Russia said Tuesday it urgently wants peace and stability in Mali, as its military warned that the rebels that captured a key town over the weekend were “regrouping” for fresh attacks.
“We consider it important that the country return to a peaceful, stable course, as soon as possible,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the situation in the country.
He refused to answer whether the Africa Corps could bring the situation under control.
In a separate statement, Russia’s defence ministry said of the rebels: “The enemy has not abandoned its aggressive intentions and is regrouping. The situation in the Republic of Mali remains difficult.”
Africa Corps units “continue to carry out their assigned missions and remain prepared to repel attacks by militants, conducting active reconnaissance and destroying… detected targets”, it added.
Russia’s deputy foreign minister Georgy Borisenko said Tuesday that Russian troops had “suffered casualties” in “strikes on many parts of the country”, state media reported.
Mali’s military ruler, General Assimi Goita, who led the coup in 2020 that brought the junta to power, has not been seen or spoken publicly since fighting began at the weekend.
Asked whether the Kremlin was aware of Goita’s fate or whereabouts, Peskov said: “You need to search for that information in Mali, not in the Kremlin.”
Russia’s defence ministry said the fighting had seen “attempts made to seize key facilities in the capital, Bamako – first and foremost, the presidential palace”.
It said the Africa Corps had faced “numerically superior forces” and had fought for more than 24 hours before withdrawing from Kidal – a decision taken by Malian leaders.
Analysts said the latest attacks were the most serious challenge to the Malian state since a March 2012 offensive that was repelled by forces from former colonial ruler France, which has since left the vast Sahel country.
Airline suspends flights
A Malian airline said Tuesday it had temporarily halted flights to two regions, as the country grappled with the aftermath of large-scale weekend attacks that have shaken the junta’s grip on the West African nation.
Sky Mali was temporarily suspending domestic flights to and from the northern town of Gao and Mopti in central Mali, the company said in an overnight statement on Tuesday.
“The safety of our passengers, our crews and our operations remains our top priority,” the airline added.
Gao lies around 350 kilometres (218 miles) south of Kidal, a pro-independence stronghold which has been seized by the Tuaregs following the weekend attacks.
The rebels claim to have taken control of several positions in the Gao region.
Central Mali, where Mopti is located, was also targeted, and the security situation remained unclear on Tuesday.
Two loud blasts were heard late on Monday near the airport area on the outskirts of the capital Bamako, an AFP journalist said.
The cause of the blasts could not immediately be identified.
“We are still wondering what it was. It wasn’t an exchange of gunfire, and the explosions were coming from the area of Base 101 at the airport,” a resident told AFP.
The air force base was targeted in the attacks on Saturday.
Surveillance drones could be heard early on Tuesday in the same area.
“We heard explosions and gunfire during the night, but it didn’t last,” another resident said.
