The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg-led rebel alliance, said late on Saturday that its armed forces took \u201ctotal control\u201d of the northern Malian city of Kidal, following an operation, according to a statement by its executive bureau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group said only \u201ca small residual pocket of resistance\u201d remained, consisting of Russian mercenaries from the Africa Corps and Malian soldiers entrenched in a former UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, or MINUSMA, camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe, in Jama\u2019at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, declare our responsibility for the following: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The operations targetting the residence of the Malian President \u201cAssimi Go\u00efta\u201d, the residence of the Malian Minister of Defence \u201cSadio Camara\u201d, Modibo Keita International Airport in the Malian capital Bamako and the military positions in the city of Kati.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“By the grace of Allah, we were also able to achieve full control over the city of Mopti, and to seize most of the army camps and mercenary positions in S\u00e9var\u00e9 and Gao,” their statement read. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Front said they also gained control of the city of Kidal after a successful and coordinated operation against the Malian army and Russian mercenaries, with the participation of our partners in the FLA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We also declare that Jama\u2019at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin seeks to keep the Russian side neutral in the conflict, in exchange for not targeting them and coordinating to build a future relationship that is balanced and effective,” according to the Front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“As we announce this victory, we affirm that it was not by coincidence or chance, but first by the grace of Allah, and the effective participation of our brothers in the Azawad Liberation Front, to bring about real change that serves the interests of religion, the country, and the people,” the statement read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The statement came after Mali\u2019s transitional government said coordinated attacks by armed groups targetted several cities on Saturday, leaving 16 civilians and soldiers injured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The government said security forces contained the assaults in Bamako, Kati, Sevar\u00e9, Gao and Kidal, neutralised several attackers and restored control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt present, the situation is totally under control,\u201d it said, praising the response of the armed forces and urging public vigilance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\u00a0FLA\u00a0stated that the operation was conducted \u201cin partnership with the JNIM,\u201d describing a coordinated effort involving attacks on military positions in the city of Gao. The group said the actions were part of a broader strategy aimed at territorial control and what it described as the protection of local populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe FLA informs the national and international public opinion that its forces have taken full control of the city of Kidal,\u201d it said. It added that the actions were part of a \u201clogic of territorial liberation and sustainable security\u201d in the Azawad region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group accused Malian armed forces and their Russian allies of committing human rights violations and said its objective included creating conditions for the \u201cvoluntary, safe and dignified return\u201d of refugees and displaced persons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FLA also urged Russian authorities to \u201cassume their responsibility as an international actor\u201d and reconsider their support for Mali\u2019s military leadership. It described authorities in Bamako as \u201ca major obstacle to any credible and inclusive political solution,\u201d while expressing an openness to alliances aimed at political change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The statement added an appeal for urgent international mobilization on humanitarian and political fronts, warning of what it described as years of insecurity, repression and marginalization affecting populations in the Azawad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kidal, a strategic city in northern Mali, has long been a center of tensions involving separatist movements, jihadist groups and government forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The withdrawal of MINUSMA from Mali has reshaped the security landscape, leaving former bases contested by various armed actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FLA is one of several groups active in the region, where alliances and rivalries have evolved amid ongoing conflict. The mention of coordination with JNIM underscores the complex dynamics of northern Mali\u2019s security situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was no immediate independent confirmation of the\u00a0FLA\u2019s claims. – AA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg-led rebel alliance, said late on Saturday that its armed forces took \u201ctotal control\u201d of the northern Malian city of Kidal, following an operation, according to a statement by its executive bureau. The group said only \u201ca small residual pocket of resistance\u201d remained, consisting of Russian mercenaries from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[379],"class_list":{"0":"post-2926","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-africa","8":"tag-mali"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2926"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2934,"href":"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2926\/revisions\/2934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}