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The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Mali says two more army posts attacked as jihadist violence escalates
BAMAKO (Reuters) -Islamist militants hit two more military installations on Wednesday and Thursday, Mali's army said, the latest in a quick spate of attacks that the insurgents say have killed hundreds of soldiers and underscored their gains. Ground and air reinforcements were being mobilised on Thursday morning to respond to an attack on a security post in Mahou, located in eastern Mali near the border with Burkina Faso, an army statement said. The attack was claimed by Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al Qaeda-linked Islamist militant group active in Mali and Burkina Faso. Information on a death toll was not immediately available. A military spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. On Wednesday afternoon, "armed terrorists" struck a military camp in Tessit, near the border with Burkina Faso and Niger, and Mali's military sent in aerial reinforcement, a separate statement said. There has been no claim of responsibility for that attack, though security analysts said it could have been perpetrated by fighters from the Islamic State branch active in the Sahel region. "The camp was attacked, and there was a violent exchange of fire. We learned that the attackers had taken control of the camp, and the population was leaving Tessit," said an official from the nearby town of Ouattagouna, who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. WIDESPREAD ATTACKS Mali's junta seized power following coups in 2020 and 2021, promising to restore security in a country that has grappled with jihadist militancy for more than a decade. But attacks continue in large swathes of the country. An army statement on Thursday described "a resurgence of cowardly and barbaric attacks" in recent weeks and said it was responding with a "counter-offensive", listing operations in six locations on Wednesday alone. An attack on Sunday on a military base in Boulkessi, in central Mali near the frontier with Burkina Faso, killed dozens of soldiers, security sources told Reuters this week. JNIM said in a statement the death toll was more than 100 soldiers and mercenaries, with more than 20 others captured. On Monday, JNIM said it targeted a military airport and Russian mercenaries in the northern city of Timbuktu, where residents described taking cover from explosions and gunfire. Like neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, Mali has cut military ties with Western nations and turned to Russia for support. JNIM also claimed to have bombed Malian and Russian soldiers on the outskirts of Bamako on Wednesday, though Reuters could not independently confirm that incident and the army has not commented on it. Consulting firm Control Risks said in a note on Thursday the claim was "reliable" and that further attacks on and near Bamako were likely as JNIM seeks to undermine Mali's military rulers. (Reporting by Mali newsroom; writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mining convoy attacked in Mali on road to Allied Gold's Sadiola mine, sources say
By Portia Crowe (Reuters) -A convoy transporting heavy mining equipment from the Malian capital Bamako to Allied Gold's Sadiola mine came under attack in the Kayes region over the weekend, two people familiar with the incident told Reuters late on Tuesday. The attack points to expanding security risks - and related additional costs - facing mining companies operating in military-led Sahel states that are struggling to contain Islamist militant groups. While government and military convoys more frequently come under attack in Mali, attacks on mining equipment have until now been rare. The CEO of Canadian gold miner Fortuna this month told Reuters that increased security concerns due to jihadist threats were among the reasons the company recently decided to exit Mali's neighbour Burkina Faso. In Sunday's attack, two large trucks were set alight, an excavator was damaged and two pick-up trucks were stolen, one of the sources familiar with the incident said. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The equipment belongs to the local Caterpillar dealer Neemba and had been leased to the subcontractor Mota-Engil, which operates at Sadiola's quarry, the sources said. Eight people present - all employees of Neemba - were unharmed in the attack, which the sources said was disrupted by soldiers from the Malian army who had been nearby. The incident took place between the towns of Diema and Sandare, the sources said. A separate security source confirmed an attack had taken place in that location on Sunday, but was unable to provide further details. Spokespeople for Allied Gold, Neemba and Mota-Engil and a spokesperson for Mali's army did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Mali is one of Africa's largest gold producers, with mining companies including Barrick Gold, B2GOLD, Resolute Mining, Endeavour Mining and Hummingbird Resources active in the gold-rich western and southern regions. In February 2024, three employees of the Canadian miner B2Gold were killed in an attack on a convoy transporting them from the Fekola gold mine in southwest Mali to Bamako, the company said at the time. But two sources with knowledge of that incident told Reuters the buses had been mistaken for a military convoy. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have experienced coups in recent years carried out by military officers who vowed to push back jihadist groups affiliated with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, though rampant insecurity persists in all three countries. (Reporting by Portia Crowe in Dakar; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Jan Harvey)
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia vows military backing for Sahel juntas' joint force
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has committed to helping military governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger acquire arms and training for a planned 5,000-strong force to deploy in the central Sahel region, a statement said. The West African nations, run by juntas that have taken power in coups in recent years, have formed a body known as the Alliance of Sahel States. The grouping has kicked out French and other Western forces and turned towards Russia, mainly fighters from the Wagner mercenary outfit, for military support. It has also withdrawn from West Africa's main political and economic bloc ECOWAS. The foreign ministers of the three West African countries travelled to Moscow for meetings beginning on Thursday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Russia voiced "unwavering support" for the joint force announced in January, a joint alliance and Russian statement said. The ministers agreed to facilitate acquisition of "major and high-performance military equipment and appropriate training" for the force and Russia is ready "to provide the necessary technical assistance", it said. The statement did not offer details. The three countries' armies are fighting a jihadist insurgency that has spread across the region south of the Sahara since it first took root in Mali in 2012. The largely rural insurgency has killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions. (Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; Editing by Alison Williams)
