Mali rebels ambush an army convoy, killing or capturing scores of soldiers

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Islamic militants and a separatist group ambushed a Malian army convoy in the country’s hard-hit north on Saturday, resulting in the killing or capture of scores of soldiers, the rebels said.

The Malian army confirmed the attack, saying in a statement that armed groups ambushed the convoy of Malian soldiers and their partners in a remote part of the northern Gao region, and that it was launching counterattacks. It was the latest in a series of militant attacks against Malian security forces in recent months as armed groups compete for influence and territories in the Sahel region.

Later on Sunday, the army said it carried out “precision strikes against enemy positions” in the area where the attack happened. “Three terrorist positions were successfully targeted (and) several terrorists were neutralized. … These operations allowed the convoy to break free from the ambushes and continue its route,” it said.

Both the regional al-Qaida affiliate JNIM and the separatist Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, separately claimed responsibility for the attack as a joint operation in statements that spoke about “great human losses” and “serious material damage” on the side of the Malian army.

The groups said the convoy was made up of both the Malian army and Russia’s Africa Corps, whose forces have been supporting Mali’s military on the ground.

It is the latest such partnership between the two groups that observers say poses great risks to Mali’s stability and its ruling junta.

“There were many soldiers killed, others captured alive. Army cars including armored cars were destroyed and others seized in good condition,” said FLA spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane.

The military convoy was leaving the northern town of Anefis and headed to Gao city when it was ambushed in the Sahara desert. The nature of the convoy wasn’t immediately clear, although fuel tankers could be seen as part of it, suggesting it could be a Malian logistics convoy.

The rebels shared videos purportedly showing the soldiers lined up as they appear to be surrendering while surrounded by the militants and Malian military vehicles. In one of the videos, the rebels were seen opening fire on some soldiers lying on the ground. The soldiers were also seen being transported in vehicles belonging to the armed groups.

The Associated Press could not independently verify the videos.

There has been a series of militant attacks against Malian security forces in recent months as armed groups compete for influence and territories in the Sahel region. Landlocked Mali is part of the Sahel, a vast strip of land south of the Sahara Desert that has become the epicenter of extremist violence in recent years.

In northern Mali, Tuareg-led separatist groups have been fighting for years to create an independent state named Azawad. In 2024, they merged into the Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA.

Both the FLA and the JNIM have increasingly worked together in their attacks against Malian forces, including the largest coordinated attack in over a decade in the West African nation, which took place in April.

The Associated Press