Mali separatists join Islamic militants in coordinated attacks across cities

Mali’s insurgency crossed a new threshold as the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front publicly said it fought alongside Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin in coordinated attacks that hit Bamako’s international airport and four other cities. It was the first time the separatist group openly acknowledged operating with the al-Qaida-linked militants, collapsing a line that had long separated Mali’s north-based rebellion from the country’s jihadist war.

The assaults reached Bamako, Kati, Sevare, Kidal and Gao, with gunfire and explosions reported around Modibo Keïta International Airport. Mali’s government said 16 people were wounded, including civilians and military personnel, while several militants were killed. An explosion also heavily damaged the residence of Defense Minister Sadio Camara, underscoring how deeply the fighting penetrated the state’s core security zone.

Authorities in Bamako imposed a three-day overnight curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., and the U.S. Embassy in Bamako urged American citizens to shelter in place and avoid travel near the airport and Kati. The attack wave was described as one of the largest coordinated assaults Mali has faced in recent years, a sign that armed groups can still strike across distance, terrain and security checkpoints with unusual precision.

The political symbolism was sharpest in Kidal, where the FLA said Russian Africa Corps forces would withdraw and the city would remain under separatist control. Kidal had been captured by Malian government forces and Russian mercenaries in 2023, making any loss there a major blow to the junta’s claim that foreign-backed force could restore national control. Reports also said Malian troops and Russian mercenaries withdrew from the city after the attacks.

The timing exposes the limits of Mali’s security strategy. The junta seized power in 2020, broke with France, expelled the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA in 2023 and turned to Wagner, now operating as Africa Corps, as insecurity worsened. Instead of restoring order, the conflict has broadened, with analysts warning that armed groups moving from rural zones into cities raise the stakes for Malian authorities and make any settlement more difficult.

The wider region is moving in the same direction. The Sahel accounted for 51% of global terrorism deaths in 2024, according to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, confirming that Mali’s breakdown is part of a much larger security collapse. With the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the U.S. Bureau of African Affairs condemning the attacks, the message from the region was clear: the conflict is becoming more entrenched, more urban and less negotiable.