BAMAKO (Reuters) – Mali’s northern Tuareg rebels announced on Sunday that they had captured another military base from the Malian army following clashes in the northern part of the country.
This military base is the fourth one to be taken in a series of attacks conducted by the rebel alliance, known as the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), since August, after the departure of a long-standing U.N. peacekeeping mission that had been instrumental in maintaining a fragile peace.
According to Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesman for the CMA, they have now gained control over the Bamba military base in the Gao region. Unfortunately, no further details were provided.
The Malian army, on the other hand, stated in a social media post on platform X that “intense combat against terrorists” was ongoing at the Bamba locality, promising to release more information in due course.
The recent CMA attack on the Bamba base, following their assaults on military bases in Lere, Dioura, and Bourem in previous weeks, signifies an escalation in clashes as both parties strive to assert control over territory in the central and northern parts of this West African country, especially with the withdrawal of U.N. peacekeepers.
In addition to Tuareg rebels, the Malian army has also been targeted by insurgents affiliated with al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
The Tuareg population has long voiced grievances about government neglect and has sought independence for the desert region they refer to as Azawad.
An uprising initiated by the Tuaregs in 2012 was subsequently hijacked by Islamist groups, which were later expelled from major towns under a French-led intervention in 2013.
The CMA had previously signed a peace agreement with the previous government and pro-government militia forces in 2015. However, tensions have resurfaced since the military assumed power in two coups in 2020 and 2021, formed an alliance with the Russian military contractor Wagner Group, and expelled French troops and U.N. peacekeepers.
(Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by Bate Felix; Editing by Alison Williams)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
