Several areas across Mali, from the southwest to the southeast, have witnessed a wave of violent attacks claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), targeting Malian army forces and their Russian allies.
The group said it had taken control of six military positions in the towns of Kalana, Sandaré, Garlo and Zaniguéla, following successive attacks carried out between Thursday evening and Friday, without disclosing casualty figures.
In response, the Malian army launched air strikes and acknowledged that its position in Sandaré, near the borders with Mauritania and Senegal, had come under attack, while claiming it repelled the assault and inflicted losses on the attackers.
The General Staff also alleged the involvement of the Azawad Liberation Front, an accusation firmly denied by the group.
The attacks come amid rising tensions following an ambush on a joint Malian–Russian military convoy near Bamako last Thursday. Local sources said improvised explosive devices were used before Russian air support linked to the Africa Corps intervened.
