A Tuareg-led insurgent coalition launched a series of co-ordinated, early-morning attacks this Saturday, hitting several towns across northern, central, and southern Mali where government troops and Russian paramilitary forces are based.
The fighters struck five different locations simultaneously around 07:00 CAT, triggering heavy gunfire and explosions. The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) confirmed its forces targeted the northeastern town of Anefis in the Kidal region, a highly strategic stronghold where Malian and Russian Africa Corps troops have been stationed since rebels captured Kidal town back in April. While the FLA claims it has already overrun several military positions inside Anefis, local sources say the army is still fighting back fiercely.
The offensive quickly spread well beyond the north. Just before dawn, rockets and heavy gunfire targeted a major military camp in the central city of Gao, while clashes also broke out in Aguelhok and Sévaré. Further south, security sources confirmed an armed assault on a prison in Kéniéroba, which sits just outside the capital, Bamako.
This multi-front raid is the latest major challenge for Mali’s military-led government, following a massive wave of rebel offensives in April that killed the country’s Defence Minister and saw multiple northern bases fall. Government officials have not yet released a formal statement on the ongoing situation.
–ChannelAfrica/Reuters–
