Mali Rebels Attack Army Bases and Prison in Coordinated Assaults

Tuareg rebels and Islamist groups carried out coordinated attacks on army bases and a prison in several towns and cities across Mali on Saturday. The army said it regained control after the assaults. Social media images showed bodies of fighters and burned motorcycles at several sites.

Background on the insurgency The attacks followed a major coordinated offensive in late April by the same groups. In that earlier operation, rebels seized the northern city of Kidal and killed the defense minister during an assault on his residence in Kati, a garrison town near Bamako.

The Tuareg rebels, known as the FLA, are nomadic people spread across the Sahel who have long sought greater autonomy. Jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the self-proclaimed Islamic State have exploited instability in northern and central Mali.

Security situation since the coups Security has deteriorated since the coups, after which the junta turned away from French military support toward Russia. The repeated assaults have raised concern that the junta is struggling to fully control large parts of the country.

The insurgency surfaced in 2012 when Tuareg rebels and jihadists took large parts of the north. It has since spread to Burkina Faso and Niger, which also have military rulers with close links to Moscow.