Mali Under Siege: Islamist Jihadists Establish Checkpoints Near Capital, Capture Northern Town

Bamako ACI 2000 by Mark Fischer, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 | Jihad Watch

Mali is witnessing a sharp escalation in violence as fighters linked to Al-Qaeda reportedly established checkpoints around the capital city of Bamako while armed groups seized control of the northern town of Tessalit. The developments mark one of the most serious security challenges faced by the country’s military-led government in recent months.

The offensive comes shortly after coordinated attacks carried out by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) alongside Tuareg separatists from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). The attacks reportedly resulted in the death of Mali’s Defence Minister, Sadio Camara, intensifying concerns over the deteriorating security situation across the country.

Videos circulating on social media on Friday appeared to show heavily armed fighters inside the Amachach military base in Tessalit. Additional footage verified by Reuters showed rebel fighters driving through the town while raising the flag of the FLA, signaling their claimed control over the area.

Media channels associated with the Azawad separatist movement stated that the military base fell after Malian army units and members of Russia’s African Corps withdrew from the region. The Azawad movement has long sought independence for northern Mali, where instability and insurgent activity have continued for years.

Russia remains the main foreign ally supporting Mali’s military government, primarily through security cooperation and the deployment of the African Corps following the reduced presence of Western forces in the country.

Meanwhile, JNIM announced that it had also captured the military base at Hombori in central Mali and taken control of two checkpoints near Bamako. The group had previously threatened to fully surround the capital, raising fears of a broader offensive aimed at destabilizing the government.

Russia’s African Corps rejected claims that the Hombori base had been abandoned, calling the reports inaccurate. However, the rapid advances made by rebel and separatist groups have raised questions about the effectiveness of the military response.

Reporting from Dakar, Senegal, Al Jazeera correspondent Nicolas Haque described the lack of resistance from Malian forces in northern regions as surprising. According to him, four major military camps in northern Mali are now under the control of armed groups, signaling a major shift in the conflict.

The latest developments underline the growing instability in Mali, where armed Islamist factions and separatist movements continue to expand their influence despite ongoing military operations and international support for the ruling government.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)