Overview
- An alliance of al‑Qaeda‑linked JNIM fighters and Tuareg separatists from the FLA carried out synchronized strikes Saturday on Bamako’s airport zone, the garrison town of Kati, and northern hubs including Kidal, Gao and Sévaré, killing Defense Minister Sadio Camara in a car‑bombing at his Kati home.
- Russia’s Africa Corps confirmed Monday it withdrew from Kidal after heavy fighting, and FLA and local sources say their forces now control the city in a reversal of its 2023 recapture by Malian troops backed by Russian paramilitaries.
- A senior Malian official told RFI that Russian fighters “betrayed” Bamako by failing to act despite advance warning and by negotiating their exit, while Malian and Russian units were seen pulling back toward Gao.
- Uncertainty deepened as junta leader Assimi Goïta stayed out of public view, the government declared two days of national mourning for Camara, and officials offered no overall death toll despite widespread casualties.
- Daily life and travel were disrupted Tuesday as airline Sky Mali suspended flights to Gao and Mopti for safety reasons, curfews and checkpoints tightened movement in Bamako and Kati, and residents reported late‑Monday blasts near the capital’s airport area.