Latest news with #Boulikessi
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Wagner to withdraw from Mali after 'completing mission'
Mali has been grappling with a militant Islamist insurgency for more than a decade. Following accusations that the government had been failing to deal with this insecurity, the military seized power a few years ago. French troops, which were originally deployed to help the civilian government, left the country in 2022. By then, the junta in charge of Mali had already begun working with the Russian mercenaries to combat the insurgents. There has been a resurgence in jihadist attacks on military bases in the Sahel state in recent weeks. Last Sunday, an al-Qaeda linked group said it had carried out a major attack on the town of Boulikessi and the army base there. More than 30 soldiers were killed, according to sources quoted by the news agency Reuters. Then on Monday, the same group - Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) - said it targeted the military in the historic city of Timbuktu, with residents reporting hearing gunfire and explosions. Insurgents also attacked an army post in the village of Mahou in the southeastern Sikasso region, killing five. Locals told the news agency AFP that soldiers withdrew from the Boulkessi base on after a new assault on Thursday led to multiple deaths. A military source said the departure was "strategic" and "at the request of the hierarchy", the news agency reported. The increased assaults in the Sahel region have raised concerns about the efficacy of Wagner in the region. Although the paramilitary group has announced its exit from Mali, Russian forces will still play an active role in the country's security landscape. Fighters from Africa Corps - a rival Russian mercenary force intended to absorb Wagner's activities on the continent - will remain in Mali. Russia has an increasing military, political and economic influence in West and Central Africa. Friday's announcement did not state whether Wagner would be leaving the Central African Republic, where its African headquarters are located.
BBC News
02-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Mali Attack on military: Al-Qaeda linked group in takes responsibility
An al-Qaeda linked group says it carried out a major attack on the Malian town of Boulikessi, and seized control of an army than 30 soldiers were killed in Sunday's attack, according to sources quoted by the Reuters news agency, however that figure has not been confirmed by the Monday the same group, Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), says it targeted the military in the historic city of a statement responding to Sunday's attack, Mali's army said it "reacted vigorously", before "withdrawing" - suggesting a tactical retreat. "Many men fought, some until their last breath, to defend the Malian nation," the statement unnamed local source told Reuters that JNIM had left many casualties and "cleared the camp".The attacks, the latest sign of collapsing security in Mali and the wider Sahel region, came after the United States Africa Command warned about growing efforts by various different Islamist militant groups which operate in the Sahel to gain access to West Africa's coastline. During a press conference on Friday, the commander of United States Africa Command (Africom), Gen Michael Langley, described recent attacks in Nigeria, the wider Sahel, and the Lake Chad Basin as deeply troubling, warning that the groups' access to the coast would significantly boost their capacity for smuggling and arms is thought that more than 400 soldiers have been killed by militants since the beginning of last month in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, Reuters reports. Additional reporting by Simon Ponsford. More BBC stories about the Sahel region: Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso to form joint force to fight jihadistsThe region with more 'terror deaths' than rest of world combined'I thought I would die' - freed captive tells BBC of life in West African jihadist base Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
