The al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has taken control of a Malian army camp and a nearby camp used by allied Dozo militias in the town of Dioura following heavy fighting on Thursday morning, local sources in the town said.
In a separate statement, JNIM claimed “full control” of the Malian army barracks in Dioura, in the Ségou region, but did not mention the Dozo camp.
No verified information was immediately available regarding casualties or the fate of the soldiers and militia fighters who had been stationed at the two sites. The Malian army had not issued an official statement.
Dioura lies on a strategic route linking the Ségou region with Timbuktu and serves as a military logistics and resupply point. Russian forces are not permanently stationed in the town but sometimes travel there alongside Malian troops to escort and secure periodic deliveries of weapons and supplies.
