2023-09-30 18:37:00
The predominantly Tuareg separatist rebellion claimed on Saturday to have caused dozens of deaths in the ranks of the Malian army during Thursday’s attack on the Dioura camp, in the Mopti region (center).
The rebels said they had counted 98 bodies of soldiers, in a statement published on behalf of the Permanent Strategic Framework, a de facto structure dominated by the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), an alliance of predominantly Tuareg separatist groups.
The claims of the rebels and all the protagonists in the fighting are difficult to verify in these remote areas. Access to independent sources in a context of hostilities and military rule is complicated.
The Malian army has so far been content to report the assault on its camp on Thursday, without further details, despite the proliferation of elements and images on the events in Dioura on social networks.
Since the end of August, northern Mali has been the scene of a resumption of hostilities by the CMA and an intensification of jihadist attacks once morest the Malian army. Operations have targeted several army positions since then.
The Dioura attack is the furthest south in relation to the CMA’s field of action since the latter took up arms.
This resurgence coincides with the ongoing withdrawal of the UN mission, pushed out by the junta in power since 2020.
Map of Mali locating Dioura
AFP/Archives
This resurgence is juxtaposed with the violence still ongoing in the center and the jihadist expansion to the north and east.
The rebels claim to have lost seven fighters themselves. They claim to have injured dozens of soldiers, to have taken five prisoners, to have ensured “total control of the influence” and to have seized significant quantities of weapons, ammunition and equipment, including armored vehicles. .
The junta makes the restoration of sovereignty over the entire territory one of its mantras and ensures that it is reversing the security trend. On the contrary, various experts report a deterioration of the situation in a country plunged into turmoil since 2012.
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