The Malian army claimed on Saturday to have taken “total control” of a stopover town towards Kidal, the stronghold of the Tuareg separatist rebellion. “The FAMa [forces armées maliennes] took this early [samedi] morning total control of the city of Anefis. Evaluations are underway,” the army said in a statement. “We call on the populations to calm down. Everything is done to ensure the safety of people and their property,” according to the text. Anéfis is located about 110 km south of Kidal, a rebel stronghold in northeastern Mali.
Almou Ag Mohamed, a spokesperson for the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), an alliance of separatist groups dominated by the Tuaregs, confirmed to AFP that Anéfis was now under government control. “The terrorist forces of Wagner and his ally Fama are in Anefis. But Anefis is not a major issue for us. We are at war, a war that will be long and will not be fought down to one position. Anefis is only a position and the front is mobile,” he assured. “We saw this [samedi] morning in the town of Anéfis the white mercenaries of Wagner and the FAMa,” confirmed a witness on site, contacted by AFP.
A convoy left Gao on Monday
The junta in power in Mali says it has enlisted the services of “instructors” as part of bilateral cooperation with Russia and denies the presence of Wagner, although the presence of the Russian security group is commonly acquired by the other actors working in Mali.
A Malian army convoy made up of dozens of vehicles and armored vehicles left Gao on Monday towards Kidal. It has been under attack ever since. The column of vehicles advances slowly and fuels speculation about its destination and objectives.
Statements that are difficult to verify
An offensive on the rebel bases in the Kidal region could be a turning point after a decade of conflict, as attacks by separatist groups and jihadists from the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), affiliated with Al -Qaeda, are increasing against the Malian army camps in the north and center of the country. Groups affiliated with the Islamic State organization also continue to operate, mainly in the East.
The Tuareg rebellion claimed earlier Thursday to have stopped the advance of the convoy and to have shot down an army plane in Tabankort, south of Anéfis. The assertions of all the protagonists are difficult to verify in these remote areas. Access to independent sources in a context of hostilities and military rule is complicated.