Tuareg rebels withdraw from strategic town of Kidal after Mali air strikes

Tuareg separatist fighters in northern Mali say they are carrying out a controlled withdrawal from the strategic town of Kidal after sustained air strikes and a military push by Malian forces backed by Russian allies. The Azawad Liberation Front said the move was a temporary operational measure intended to preserve its human and logistical capabilities. The announcement marks a fresh shift in control in one of the most contested areas of Mali's long-running conflict.

Sponsored

The group said in a statement that the withdrawal from Kidal took place without direct combat between its fighters and the advancing forces. It said the decision came six months after it captured the town, and followed what it described as fresh air strikes by Mali's military and Russian fighters. Earlier on Tuesday, Mali's military said it had launched large-scale air and ground operations around Kidal.

Those operations were aimed at tracking down and neutralising armed groups, destroying supply networks, and restoring lasting security and free movement for people and goods. A security source said pro-government fighters, including Russian paramilitaries, re-entered Kidal on Tuesday afternoon. That development suggests the town has again become a focal point in the struggle between separatist forces and the central government.

Kidal has long held strategic value because of its location in Mali's north, where state authority has repeatedly been challenged by armed groups. The latest movement on the ground also underlines the role of external military support in the conflict. The situation matters because Kidal has been central to Mali's northern rebellion for more than a decade.

Sponsored

The country has been in conflict since 2012, when a Tuareg separatist uprising in the north was overtaken by Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda. Those militants later consolidated under Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin in 2017. The current confrontation therefore sits within a wider struggle involving separatist claims, jihadist insurgency, and the Malian state's efforts to reassert control.

The Azawad Liberation Front was formed in 2024 as a coalition of Tuareg and other northern separatist factions. It says it is seeking independence for Azawad, the name used by separatists for northern Mali. By contrast, the Malian military says it is working to restore order and unity after the 2021 coup that brought soldiers to power.

Since then, the authorities have relied on Russian paramilitary support after expelling French forces and some 15,000 United Nations peacekeepers. The conflict has also become more complex because the FLA and JNIM launched a joint offensive in April, despite their different ideologies. The FLA describes itself as a secular nationalist movement, while JNIM is an al-Qaeda-affiliated group that says it is fighting to overthrow the government.

#Mali #Kidal #Tuaregrebels #AzawadLiberationFront #Russianparamilitaries

Sponsored