The Malian town, Tinzaouatene, where personnel of the Malian armed forces and the Russian Wagner group suffered many casualties recently, appear close to being captured by the Malian government.
Recent reports say rebels in the town are calling for mediation following their isolation by the Malian armed forces. Sources within the Malian government say the armed forces have managed to isolate a group of hundreds of rebels near Tinzaouatene.
The rebels, aware of their precarious situation, have reportedly requested assistance from a third country to engage in dialogue with the Malian authorities and avoid a bloodbath.
After the losses suffered, Malian forces triggered the collective defence clause for the first time since its formation, calling on their counterparts from Burkina Faso for support, in the Battle for Tinzaouatene.
In its official communique, the Malian armed forces said that “The General Staff of the Armed Forces informs the national opinion that, in accordance with the solidarity between the member states of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), and in application of the collective defence and mutual assistance mechanism of the AES, the FAMa (Armed Forces of Mali), in coordination with the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso, began, July 30th 2024, an air campaign in the Tinzaouaten sector.
Burkina Faso sent reinforcement to Mali to help deal with the situation in Tinzaouatene. This campaign aims to secure people and property in a coordinated and decisive military operation, Malian authorities sad.
Burkina Faso’s armed forces launched a significant offensive against insurgent groups in the eastern region and along the border area with Mali. The operation, which mobilised both air and ground units, resulted in the neutralisation of several dozen attackers and the recovery of their logistics. Meanwhile, the Malian military said it is moving quickly to train and increase the number of active personnel for the battles ahead.
According to reports, the Malian army had already pushed hundreds of Kilometres on the Kidal Commercial road and received assistance from the Burkinabè air force, which destroyed a base of the Tuaregs in a retaliatory strike with drones resulting in many deaths including field commanders, some reports say.
Specific high-value objectives, including caches, logistical plots and vehicles were targeted. During this operation, the General Staff of the Armed Forces invited the civilian population in the sector to keep their distance from the positions occupied by the Armed rebel and Islamist Groups to prevent any collateral damage.
Several media platforms and organisations have accused the Malian armed forces of committing abuses and illicit trafficking against the Malian populations. However, these claims have not been corroborated by local agencies and the Malian government has denied the allegations, saying they constitute an attempt by external forces to undermine their efforts in the war against the Tuareg rebels and Islamist groups.
According to the Malian authorities, video evidence is provided to capture operations against insurgents and they reveal that all strikes are clearly targeted against fighters.
Some sources reached by West Africa Report say they see these accusations as instigated purely by western media and the insurgents themselves to bring global pressure on the AES forces.
Speaking about unverified video footages circulating online of gold miners bombed by AES forces, government sources say nothing could be further from the truth as the clips clearly showed that the people giving testimonies were illegally mining gold under the strict surveillance of the ebels and Islamists themselves.
The Malian government, the sources say, had already decreed and warned people that gold mining was suspended “throughout the Republic of Mali” until further notice from June 15th, to September 30th, 2024, in a Press Release by the Ministry of Mines.
Mali’s minister of mines, urged the administrative and customary authorities, press organisations and operators of the localities concerned to combine their efforts for strict compliance with this provision during the indicated period.
According to Malian authorities, the illegal mining and illicit trade in gold and drugs have helped sustain the insurgents’ recruitment and has provided funding for them.
As the operations against insurgent strongholds continue, there are indications that the new push may present opportunities that could lead to further territorial gains for the Sahel alliance.
