Rebels claim to capture a key military camp in northern Mali after army withdraws

The image above shows the country of Mali and the towns there which have come under recent attack and some overtaken by Islamic militants. (AP Digital Embed)

BAMAKO, Mali — Separatist rebels in Mali said Friday they captured a strategic military camp in the northern town of Tessalit after the withdrawal of the army and their Russian allies, as the militants launch their biggest round of attacks in over a decade.

The claim by the Azawad Liberation Front separatist group was the latest setback for Mali’s ruling junta, which lost control of the major city of Kidal earlier in the week as part of attacks that killed Malian Defence Minister Sadio Camara.

Local reports said the Malian army and members of Russia’s Africa Corp pulled out of Tessalit starting Thursday. The Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, has been fighting in the region in collaboration with the al-Qaeda-backed Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM.

Achafghi Ag Bouhanda, a top FLA commander, announced the capture of the Tessalit camp in a video posted online. The camp is strategically located near an airport and the border with Algeria.

The Associated Press could not independently confirm the situation at the camp, which is located in an area with poor internet access. Malian authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The wider Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert including Mali and other conflict-battered nations has been a hotspot for violent extremism. Jihadis have in recent years ramped up pressure against Mali’s military junta as well as the juntas of the neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.

The three countries, run by militaries which deposed elected governments in recent coups, have severed security ties with Western partners and turned instead to Russia for security support.

The latest assault in Mali began on Saturday after the jihadis and separatists partnered to target the main international airport in the capital, Bamako, as well as other towns and cities in near-simultaneous attacks as they rode on motorcycles and trucks.

At least 10 locations have been attacked by the militants since then, forcing Malian and Russian forces to withdraw from the key northern city of Kidal, which was once a stronghold of the separatists.

The Associated Press