Attaques sans précédent, incertitudes sur le sort de Goita: ce que l'on sait de la situation au Mali
Mali is plunged into a critical security situation after a series of unprecedented coordinated attacks launched on Saturday by jihadists allied with the Tuareg rebellion against strategic positions of the junta in Bamako and several major cities.
Defense Minister General Sadio Camara, a key figure in the military regime, was killed in the attacks, which cast a long shadow of uncertainty over the junta's future. The Malian army has been engaged in fierce fighting since Saturday against assailants from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM, jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda) and the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA, Tuareg separatists).
Here is what we know about the situation in Mali.
- Tuareg rebels in Kidal and around Gao -
Tuareg rebels from the Azawad Liberation Front, a separatist group claiming the territory of Azawad in northern Mali, claimed on Sunday to have "total" control of the key city of Kidal (north), after clashes that had resumed in the morning before stopping.
In Gao, also in the north, fighting has stopped but rebels are still on the outskirts of the city, an elected official told AFP.
The FLA brings together several predominantly Tuareg groups that claim independence for the territory of Azawad, in northern Mali.
In Sévaré, in the center of the country, the situation remains "confusing" and gunshots are still being heard in some places, according to a local elected official.
On Sunday afternoon, calm returned to Kati, the junta's stronghold located about fifteen kilometers from Bamako, the capital, after shots were reported in the morning, according to a resident interviewed by AFP.
- The Minister of Defense was killed, a major blow for the junta -
General Sadio Camara, 47, a key figure in the junta, was killed along with his second wife in Saturday's attack by JNIM, Al-Qaeda's Sahelian branch, on his residence, which was destroyed by a car bomb.
- Agreements between Tuareg rebels and Russian soldiers in Kidal -
The Tuareg rebels announced that they had reached an "agreement" allowing the withdrawal from Kidal of Russian soldiers from the paramilitary organization Africa Corps, "entrenched" since Saturday in a camp alongside the Malian army, with a view to their departure from the city.
"The Russian fighters in Kidal have decided to leave their position. They are coordinating their departure with the rebels of the ALF," a diplomatic source told AFP.
A resident of Kidal also told AFP on Sunday that he had "seen a military convoy leaving", but added that he did not know "the details of the situation".
- The fate of the junta leader and other dignitaries is unknown -
General Assimi Goïta, head of the junta, has neither been seen nor spoken since the start of the attacks.
A Malian security source told AFP that he "was exfiltrated from Kati on Saturday and is in a safe place", in a "special forces camp" near Bamako.
Furthermore, according to security sources, the head of intelligence services, General Modibo Koné, was wounded by gunfire during Saturday's attacks in Kati, as was the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, General Oumar Diarra.
- "Hunt" -
On Sunday, the Malian army stated in a press release that "the hunt for armed terrorist groups continues in Kidal, Kati and other localities in the country."
In response to the attacks, the alert level has been raised, curfews have been imposed, patrols have been intensified and checkpoints reinforced throughout the country, she said.
On Saturday evening, the Malian government announced that the various attacks had resulted in 16 civilian and military injuries and "limited material damage".
![[EXCLUSIF] Un gendarme auxiliaire tombe dans l'affaire Pape Cheikh Diallo](https://image.seneweb.com/content/news/2026-17-26//thumb_1260x800_69ee19493167f_XiDKaJHO1e.jpg)
Commentaires (19)
Participer à la Discussion
Règles de la communauté :
💡 Astuce : Utilisez des emojis depuis votre téléphone ou le module emoji ci-dessous. Cliquez sur GIF pour ajouter un GIF animé. Collez un lien X/Twitter, TikTok ou Instagram pour l'afficher automatiquement.