Mali’s public prosecutor at the Military Court of Bamako said late Friday that investigations into recent attacks found “solid evidence regarding the complicity of certain military personnel,” including serving and recently dismissed officers. The prosecutor said those officers took part in “the planning, coordination, and execution” of the attacks, which authorities described as involving jihadis and separatists. The statement, read on state television, also alleged the involvement of politicians, including Oumar Mariko, a prominent Malian politician in exile.
The claims came as battlefield pressure increased in Mali’s north and around the capital. Separately from the prosecutor’s accusations, the separatist Azawad Liberation Front said earlier in the day that it captured a strategic military camp in the northern town of Tessalit after Mali’s army and its Russian allies withdrew from the site. A top FLA commander, Achafghi Ag Bouhanda, announced the capture in an online video verified by The Associated Press.
The AP said it could not independently confirm what happened at the Tessalit camp. Mali’s authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The camp is described as strategically located near an airport and the border with Algeria, raising the risk that a shift in control could affect movements in the region.
The prosecutor’s statement said investigations identified officers’ roles in the attacks that began Saturday, which were described as near-simultaneous strikes across multiple locations. The attacks included assaults on the main international airport in Bamako and other towns and cities, with fighters reportedly riding on motorcycles and trucks. Mali’s authorities said the attacks involved Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, also known as JNIM, and the Azawad Liberation Front working in partnership.
Mali’s military-run government, which has been in power since a 2020 coup, has faced recurring violence as jihadi groups expand in surrounding territories across the wider Sahel. The AP reported that recent attacks also marked a further setback for the ruling junta after it lost control of Kidal, a major city in the north, earlier in the week as part of assaults that killed Mali’s Defense Minister Sadio Camara.
After the latest assaults began, Malian and Russian forces withdrew from Kidal, once a stronghold for the separatists, according to the report. The AP said militants carried out attacks at least 10 locations since the newest assault started. The junta said it would keep fighting the militants with aerial and ground operations, and Assimi Goita said on Tuesday that “Military operations will continue until the armed groups involved have been completely neutralized and security has been sustainably restored throughout the country.”
Beyond fighting and territorial changes, the AP described how militants have also disrupted access to Bamako by blocking roads leading to the capital. It said JNIM earlier this week announced it would enforce a total blockade of Bamako’s four major routes after earlier partial blockades. The report said traffic leading to the city was disrupted Friday and that there were reports of roadblocks, with the disruption forcing some travel agencies to stop operating.
A Bamako-area traveler, Aminata Traoré, described the risk of moving by road between the capital and other parts of Mali. “These days, traveling by road is a dangerous undertaking,” Traoré said.
While the prosecutor’s accusations focused on alleged complicity inside Mali’s security structure, the separatist claims emphasized gains on the ground. The AP said it could not confirm the situation at Tessalit, but the competing narratives underscored the scale of pressure confronting Mali’s government as separatist fighters and al-Qaida-linked militants press attacks across the country.