Africa-Press. Malian authorities have accused some army officers of collaborating with “armed groups and separatists,” just hours after announcing their control over a strategic military camp in the town of Tessalit in the northern part of the country.
A statement from the military prosecutor’s office in Bamako, read on state television, indicated that investigations found “strong evidence regarding the complicity of some military personnel” in the attacks, including both current and recently dismissed officers.
The prosecutor’s statement noted that the officers participated in the “planning, coordination, and execution” of the attacks, and also mentioned the involvement of politicians, including prominent Malian politician Oumar Mariko, who is currently in exile.
Separatist rebels announced their control of the Tessalit camp following the withdrawal of the Malian army and their Russian allies, marking the largest series of attacks by armed groups in over a decade.
Achafghi Bouhenda, a senior leader of the Azawad Liberation Front, announced the seizure of the Tessalit camp in a video posted online.
This announcement represents the latest setback for the ruling military council in Mali, which lost control of the key city of Kidal just days ago amid attacks that resulted in the death of Malian Defense Minister Sadio Camara.
A local source reported that the forces evacuated the camp before the factions arrived, stating that “no clashes occurred.”
The camp housed a significant number of Malian soldiers and their Russian allies from the “Africa Corps” (formerly Wagner Group), in addition to military equipment.
The Tessalit camp is located near the border with Algeria (to the north) and holds strategic importance due to its geographical location, as well as its large airstrip.
Additionally, Malian forces were forced to abandon the smaller Aguelhok military base, located about 100 kilometers south of Tessalit, according to a local official and another from the Azawad Liberation Front on Friday.
The Azawad Liberation Front is fighting in the region in collaboration with the “Support Group for Islam and Muslims,” which is backed by al-Qaeda.
Civilian Casualties
Meanwhile, UNICEF announced in a statement that civilians and children were killed and injured during the attacks, with injured children receiving treatment at local health facilities, though no specific numbers were provided.
The United Nations Children’s Fund added that a health center in Gao was attacked, while armed groups occupied a school in the Mopti region, where an explosive device was found nearby.
Mali is facing a critical security situation and is experiencing uncertainty and tension following unprecedented coordinated attacks by the Support Group for Islam and Muslims linked to al-Qaeda and the separatist Azawad Liberation Front on strategic sites of the ruling military council.
Despite the transitional president of the Republic of Mali, Assimi Goita, declaring control over the situation in the country after days of simultaneous armed attacks by rebel groups on April 25, uncertainty looms over the scene, with anticipation of internal security repercussions that may also affect neighboring countries.
