Article

2026-05-02 Africa North

Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso launched joint airstrikes against militants

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Combined forces from Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali carried out airstrikes on militant positions in northern Mali, Niger's press service reported.

"The Government of Niger welcomes <…> the swift and decisive response of the Joint Forces units, which carried out intensive air campaigns following the cowardly attacks, " Africanews quoted the cabinet as saying on April 30.

The republic's authorities also accused foreign countries, primarily France, of sponsoring the terrorist attacks that occurred in Mali last weekend. The Niger government canceled nationwide parades planned for May 1st due to security concerns.

On April 25, militants attacked Bamako-Sénou International Airport in Mali, as well as the country's largest military base located nearby. Explosions and gunshots were heard at the scene. The republic's military command reported that same day that the situation in several districts of the country had been brought under control.

According to the Malian Foreign Ministry, terrorist groups simultaneously attacked military installations in several cities: Bamako, Kati, Sevare, Gao, and Kidal. Defense Minister Sadio Camara was killed during the fighting.

On April 28, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Afrika Korps fighters had prevented a coup d'état in Mali. They repelled a superior militant force numbering approximately 12,000. According to the ministry, mercenaries from Ukraine and Europe were involved in the coup plot.

On April 30, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia will continue to help fight terrorism and provide assistance to the Malian authorities.

From Skidmark’s comment, below, for future searchability: the parties to the conflict are the Mali military government and Russia’s Africa Corps, Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM-Al Qaeda in the Maghreb), Islamic State - Sahel Province (ISSP) Note that Wikipedia describes JNIM as

Salafi Jihadist organisations in the Maghreb and West Africa formed by the merger of Ansar Dine, al-Mourabitoun and the Saharan branch of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Its emir Iyad Ag Ghali swore allegiance to al-Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and the Taliban's leader Hibatullah Akhundzada in 2017. In the early 2020s, JNIM was reported to be the fastest-growing militant organization in the world. As of 2025, it is considered the most heavily armed militant group in the Sahel and one of the most powerful globally.

# id) ?>

Posted by badanov 2026-05-02 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [1897 views ] Top

1 Mali attacks spotlight the growing reach of militants across West Africa

Posted by Skidmark 2026-05-02 09:19|| 2026-05-02 09:19|| Front Page Top

2 Your Reuters link has very useful maps, Skidmark. Also this:

KEY GROUPS IN THE CONFLICT
Mali military government
Assimi Goita
Goita, a special forces officer who has taken part in two successful coups in Mali, has led the country since 2021. He promised to restore democracy, but elections have been pushed back, with Goita saying security needs to be fully secured first.

In his first public appearance three days after the April 25 attacks, Goita said the situation was under control and vowed to “neutralise” those responsible

Azawad Liberation Front (FLA)
Bilal Ag Cherif
A veteran of the decades-long Tuareg separatist movement, Ag Cherif led an uprising in 2012 to carve out a desert state called Azawad in northern Mali. The separatists, known then as the MNLA, also fought alongside al Qaeda-aligned factions but were soon sidelined by the more powerful Islamists.

Ag Cherif signed a peace deal with the government in 2015 but it collapsed soon after Mali’s new military government seized power. The Tuareg-led separatists, now known as the FLA, have once again joined forces with the Islamist militants.

Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM)
Iyad Ag Ghaly
Ag Ghaly cut his teeth in Tuareg rebellions in the 1980s and 1990s and emerged as a key power broker between Bamako and an array of players in Mali’s desert north.

By 2012, Ag Ghaly was leader of the Ansar Dine Islamist group that broke away from the separatist rebels and pushed for the establishment of Islamic law in northern Mali. In 2017, he oversaw the merger of a collection of Islamist groups that became JNIM. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes.
Islamic State - Sahel Province (ISSP)
Abu al-Bara al-Sahrawi
ISSP was born out of the array of Islamist factions that seized northern Mali in 2012. It has established itself in a zone along the borders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. ISSP now governs some of these areas but faces competition from JNIM, as well as the three countries’ armies.

The rival Islamist factions have clashed hundreds of times since 2019, resulting in more than 2,100 deaths, according to Armed ⁠Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a conflict monitoring group.
Africa Corps
Russian Defence Ministry
Russia’s military support to Mali was initially provided by the Wagner mercenary group. Last year, operations were taken over by Africa Corps, a force controlled by the Kremlin. Most Africa Corps members were previous Wagner fighters and both groups have been accused of human rights abuses in Mali, allegations rejected by Russia.

Posted by trailing wife 2026-05-02 12:24|| 2026-05-02 12:24|| Front Page Top

03:43 trailing wife
00:29 Clyde Thaviling6482
00:14 Besoeker
00:13 Skidmark
Merry-Go-Blog