Mali separatists announce withdrawal from strategic northern town
The FLA said airstrikes by Mali’s military and Russian-backed fighters prompted the move after it retook the town in April.
- On Tuesday, the Azawad Liberation Front announced a 'controlled withdrawal' from Kidal, the strategic northern town it seized six months ago, citing recent airstrikes by the Malian military backed by Russian fighters.
- Malian military officials launched large-scale air and ground operations in the Kidal region, with aerial strikes beginning three days ago to pressure insurgent positions.
- It remained unclear on Tuesday whether Malian troops would immediately re-occupy Kidal, as Reuters reported the exact proximity of government forces to the town center was not verified.
- The FLA and the regional al Qaeda affiliate JNIM seized Kidal during nationwide attacks in April, an offensive that killed Mali's defence minister and marked the town's latest control shift.
- Mali's leaders have relied on Russian security support since 2020, transitioning from the Wagner military group to the Africa Corps, composed of former Wagner fighters backing current operations.
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CNBC Africa
Mali separatists announce withdrawal from strategic northern Mali town
BAMAKO, Oct 6 (Reuters) – A separatist movement in northern Mali announced on Tuesday it was carrying out “a controlled withdrawal” from a strategic town in the north that it seized along with al Qaeda-linked jihadists during nationwide attacks six months ago. The decision to leave Kidal came in response to airstrikes by Mali’s military […]
Malian army and Russian fighters retake key city of Kidal, abandoned by rebels
The Malian army says it has entered the strategic northern city of Kidal, which was captured in April by Tuareg separatists who announced their withdrawal earlier Tuesday as the military advanced.
Mali separatists announce withdrawal from strategic northern town
A separatist movement in northern Mali announced on Tuesday it was carrying out "a controlled withdrawal" from a strategic town in the north, a symbolic boost to Mali's army and its Russian backers in their years-long fight against insurgents including al Qaeda-linked jihadists.
Reformatorisch Dagblad
Separatists in Mali have reported their withdrawal from the strategically important town of Kidal. According to the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), this is a response to airstrikes by the armed forces.
The Malian army announced on Tuesday that it had entered the city of Kidal, shortly after the Tuareg independenceist rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) – who had taken control of the strategic Malian locality at the end of April – said that they had carried out a "strategic withdrawal" of their forces in front of the army's operations to take over this northern city.
The Malian Armed Forces and their Russian allies of the Africa Corps took over control of Kidal on 6 October, just over five months after the fall of this strategic city in the north of the country at the hands of the FLA and the Jnim.
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