Mali investigates soldiers over alleged involvement in military base attacks

Malian Authorities Identify Suspects in Coordinated Attacks

Five individuals, including three active-duty soldiers, have been identified by Malian authorities as suspects in a series of simultaneous attacks on army bases across the country last week. The attacks, which occurred on April 25, targeted key military installations and resulted in significant losses for the government.

According to a statement released by a prosecutor at a military tribunal near Bamako, the capital city, five individuals have been apprehended, including three active-duty soldiers, one retired personnel member, and a soldier who was killed during fighting near an army base. The authorities are currently seeking additional perpetrators, co-perpetrators, and accomplices.

The attacks on April 25 had a profound impact on Mali’s military government, which has been in power since coups in 2020 and 2021. The defence minister was killed, and Russian forces were forced to withdraw from the northern town of Kidal. The town is now under control of al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Tuareg separatists of the Liberation Front for Azawad (FLA).

The violence has spread across Mali’s vast desert north, raising concerns about the potential for significant gains by armed groups. JNIM has called on Malians to rise up against the government and transition to Islamic law. The group has also pledged to besiege Bamako, with security sources confirming that it has set up checkpoints around the city.

Military leader Assimi Goita stated in a televised address that the situation is under control, promising to neutralize the armed groups behind the attacks. However, experts such as Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, have expressed concerns about the government’s ability to maintain control over larger cities in the north, including Timbuktu and Gao.

Source: Al Jazeera