By Oumar Sankare
BAMAKO, Mali (AA) – The Malian army carried out an airstrike that killed more than 100 militants in a forested area of central Mali on Sunday, marking what it described as a significant operation against armed groups in the region, according to an official statement on Monday.
The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) said in a statement that during an aerial reconnaissance and surveillance mission on Jan. 25, its “air assets successfully struck” a base belonging to armed terrorist groups. The target was located in the Soussan forest, west of Dioila and southwest of Zantiguila.
“The toll reports more than 100 terrorists neutralized, as well as equipment destroyed,” the statement said.
Mali has faced a prolonged security crisis since 2012, driven by separatist movements and militant attacks, particularly in the northern and central regions.
In December 2024, five armed separatist groups announced the formation of an alliance known as the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), which seeks independence for parts of northern Mali.
This alliance includes the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA), the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), as well as factions of the Azawad Arab Movement (MAA) and the Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies (GATIA).
The Malian government recognizes these groups, along with the al-Qaida-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and the Macina Liberation Front (FLM), as terrorist organizations.
According to media reports, JNIM stepped up retaliatory attacks after authorities banned the sale of fuel outside official stations in rural areas - a measure aimed at disrupting militant supply chains. The group laid siege to Bamako in September and carried out multiple attacks on fuel tankers.
Those groups seek to paralyze Bamako and put pressure on the military-led government, which came to power following coups in 2020 and 2021 and severed security ties with former colonial power France to pursue closer cooperation with Russia.