The conflict in Mali
A map of the approximate control situation in Mali
as of the 28th October 2023.
The current situation
The current situation in Mali is very complex. The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) and hired Wagner mercenaries have been struggling against the growing AQIM and JNIM insurgency.
Adding to this, in the last few weeks, Azawad separatists known as the CMA renewed their fight for independence against the government, capturing several FAMa bases.
MINUSMA (UN) forces are exiting Mali upon the government's demand after operating in the country since April 2013. FAMa and Wagner, departing from the city of Gao, headed north in multiple convoys into CMA-operated areas in order to secure the bases the UN was leaving behind. The CMA has employed hit-and-run tactics, successfully halting the convoys at Anefis.
The UN has completed its departure from the towns of Aguelhok and Tessalit. Having successfully delayed and blocked the Army from advancing north, the CMA has taken control of those former UN bases and surrounding towns.
The UN has commenced the process of departing from its base in Kidal, a city which is currently under the control of the MLNA and serves as the group’s capital.
Factions:
FAMa - The Malian Armed Forces (Forces Armées Maliennes).
Wagner - The Russian mercenary group well known for its deployment in the war in Ukraine and its costly operation to secure the city of Bakhmut. Wagner has been extensively used by the Russian Government across Africa to further its political interests there.
AQIM - al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is a branch of the al-Qaeda jihadist organisation operating in the Maghreb and Sahel regions of North Africa.
JNIM - Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin is a jihadist organisation formed through the merger of the Saharan branch of AQIM and 3 other Jihadist organisations in the region.
CMA- The Coordination of Azawad Movements, known as the Coordination des mouvements de l'Azawad, is a coalition of separatist groups in the Azawad regions of Mali. The largest of these is the MLNA.
MLNA - The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, known as the Mouvement national de libération de l'Azawad, is the largest of the armed Azawad seperatist organisations.
MINUSMA - This is the United Nations peacekeeping misson to Mali. Known in French as the “Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation au Mali”.
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