In brief
Malian troops repelled a surprise attack on a base in the town of San, claiming the elimination of about 40 jihadists linked to al‑Qaeda’s JNIM faction. The clash, which lasted roughly two hours, involved militants infiltrating the camp on motorcycles and in disguised uniforms, and using drones, heavy machine guns and armoured vehicles to breach the perimeter. While the army suffered significant losses—including 10 soldiers killed—it maintained control of the base. The incident underscores the worsening security climate in Mali, where the north and east remain contested territories and insurgent groups are increasingly targeting central and southern areas.
In an evening of heavy fighting on Sunday, the Malian army managed to repel a jihadist offensive on a military base in the town of San, claiming the elimination of roughly 40 militants linked with the al‑Qaeda‑affiliated group, Jama’at Nusrat al‑Islam wal‑Muslimin (JNIM).
The attack began around 5:00 a.m. local time and lasted about two hours, according to witnesses quoted by RFI. Militants arrived on motorcycles and on foot, some disguised in army uniforms to infiltrate the camp, and briefly seized control of the perimeter before fighting broke out close to the base facilities.
Senior Lieutenant‑Colonel El Oumrani, commander of the 23rd regiment garrison, posted a video on which he declared the “enemy eliminated” and stressed that the base remains under army control. Despite the offensive, the Mali military suffered significant casualties, with at least 10 soldiers killed in the clash.
JNIM’s use of drones, heavy machine guns and armoured vehicles during the assault highlights the group’s growing operational reach beyond Mali’s northern frontiers into central and southern regions. This escalation comes amid a broader decline in security that followed the 2020 coup and the country’s refusal of French military support, opting instead for new ties with Russia.
The assault on San is a stark reminder that large swathes of Mali remain outside the government’s reach, with insurgency and separatist movements continuing to challenge the ruling regime, particularly after a spate of attacks across the north that saw the murder of Defence Minister Sadio Camara in a suicide truck bomb.
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