Mali’s transitional government says its armed forces have recaptured the northern city of Kidal, with support from Russia’s Africa Corps.
According to the Associated Press, government spokesman Brigadier General Issa Ousmane Coulibaly announced the operation in a statement read on state television on Tuesday, 6 October.
The Azawad Liberation Front, known as the FLA, acknowledged withdrawing from the city. However, its spokesman said Malian troops entered without a fight, offering a different account of the change in control.
Separatists describe a tactical withdrawal.
Reuters, in a report published by ThePrint, reported that the FLA described its departure as a controlled withdrawal following airstrikes by Malian forces backed by Russian fighters.
The movement said the decision was temporary and intended to preserve its personnel and equipment. It maintained that no direct ground battle had taken place before its withdrawal.
Reuters also quoted a security source saying pro-government forces, including Russian fighters, entered Kidal on Tuesday afternoon. By Tuesday night, the government said troops were strengthening their presence to enable the gradual return of public administration and basic services.
A city that has repeatedly changed hands.
African Press Agency reports that Kidal fell out of government control after coordinated attacks on 25 April against towns and military installations.
Government troops subsequently moved some forces to Anefis, about 100 kilometres south of Kidal. The following months brought fighting, reinforcements, and airstrikes around the area.
The army had previously retaken Kidal in November 2023 following the withdrawal of the United Nations peacekeeping mission. The city has long been a stronghold of Tuareg separatist movements.
Recapture does not end the conflict.
Reuters reports that the FLA coordinated the April offensive with the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, known as JNIM.
The two movements are distinct, although they joined forces during those attacks.
Beverly Ochieng, an associate director at the security consultancy Control Risks, told Reuters that regaining Kidal would strengthen the military government’s authority and army morale. She nevertheless described the gain as symbolic rather than decisive in the wider campaign against armed groups.
The government’s announcement and the FLA’s withdrawal statement point to a change in control. They do not establish that fighting across northern Mali has ended or that lasting security has been restored.
