Al-Qaeda-linked militants have killed more than 100 Malian soldiers in attacks this month, while continued assaults on military positions are putting further pressure on the country’s security forces.
The attacks were carried out by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, in central Mali. On September 10, militants attacked a military camp in Dioura. Two sources told Reuters that between 120 and 130 soldiers were killed. More than 100 troops were also reportedly taken hostage.
The Malian army confirmed casualties from the assault on the camp but did not provide a death toll. It said its forces evacuated troops and struck enemy positions during a retaliatory operation that lasted more than a week. The military also said its forces had inflicted significant losses on the attackers.
JNIM claimed responsibility for the Dioura attack and said it had killed 150 soldiers, a figure that could not be independently verified.
Separately, JNIM targeted Sévaré, where a military airport houses aircraft and drones used by Malian forces. The group said it had attacked air-defense systems at the airport and claimed to have killed 33 pro-government forces in Sévaré and nearby Konna. Reuters reported that the airport had come under shelling for six consecutive nights, while a local resident said around 40 wounded Malian soldiers and Russian fighters were being treated at a hospital in Sévaré.
Russian Africa Corps personnel support the Malian army in its operations against insurgents. Reuters reported that Russian troops were no longer visibly present in Sévaré on September 21, although the report did not establish whether this represented a broader withdrawal or a temporary change in their deployment.
The latest attacks follow a broader escalation in Mali. In April, JNIM and the Tuareg-led Front de Libération de l’Azawad carried out coordinated attacks across the country, including an assault on Bamako’s main airport and an attack that killed Mali’s defense minister, according to Reuters.
The renewed violence comes as Mali’s military government continues to rely on its own forces and Russian personnel to confront Islamist insurgencies after the country’s 2020 and 2021 coups. The recent attacks highlight militant groups’ continued ability to strike military targets despite sustained counterinsurgency operations.
