At least 17 soldiers and 4 civilians were killed on Sunday August 7 while 9 other soldiers are missing after an attack attributed to jihadists in the town of Tessit, located in the so-called three-border zone between Mali, Burkina Fa Niger.
The results are “always preliminary and likely to change,” according to a statement released Monday by the Malian army, which killed seven enemies “probably from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) and benefited from drone support.” and artillery using explosives and vehicle bombs”. “The clandestine and uncoordinated overflight operations recorded by the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA) yesterday, Sunday and today confirm the thesis that the terrorists benefited from great support and external expertise,” the army said on Monday evening, without giving further details.
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The Malian staff also reports 22 wounded in the army, significant material losses including three vehicles destroyed and damage to other vehicles, FAMA facilities and civilian homes.
Some of the civilians killed were local elected officials, relatives of the victims told AFP on condition of anonymity. On the “enemy” side, the army cites “an unknown number of dead and wounded carried away by the attackers,” in addition to the seven dead. An earlier Army assessment put 4 soldiers and 2 civilians killed and 5 “enemy side” dead.
strategic area
The Tessit sector, on the Malian side of the border triangle, in a vast rural bush region not controlled by the state, has been the scene of repeated clashes and attacks.
Al-Qaeda-affiliated armed groups, rallied under the leadership of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM, JNIM in Arabic) are fighting the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) group, which is affiliated with the Organization of Islamic State (IS). is ). The jihadists seek control of this strategic and gold-bearing zone.
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Also the Malian army, stationed in a military camp next to the city of Tessit, was deployed frequently in this region and in Tessit in particular. Blue helmets from the UN mission in Mali also operate in this area, sometimes referred to as “Malian Gourma”.
As elsewhere in Mali, civilians are caught in the crossfire of these conflicting factions and accused of being allied with one or the other. Residents in the area have fled by the thousands, particularly to the large neighboring city of Gao, some 150 km to the north.
A few months ago, French soldiers from Operation Barkhane were deployed there. They are preparing to leave their last base in Mali, in Gao, to resettle in Niger.
At the gates of Bamako
On Sunday, the “Barkhane” force announced that it had neutralized a squad and several jihadist fighters in the Telatai region, 200 km northeast of Gao, after identifying them “thanks to cross-referencing various intelligence sources”.
In a very deteriorated security context, the junta in power since August 2020 has decided to part with the old French ally, which has been present in Mali for nine years, and to vigorously resume cooperation with Russia.
The Tessit region, like the entire so-called Dreiländereck, is all the more landlocked during the rainy season from July to September, when heavy rains prevent easy access and circulation.
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Mali has been in turmoil since 2012. The jihadist spread, initially limited to the north, has spread to the center and south of the country and to the neighboring countries of Burkina Faso and Niger.
At least two jihadist attacks killed 12 civilians in central Mali on Saturday and five police officers in southwestern Mali on Sunday. At least 11 coordinated attacks hit Malian territory in late July, mostly attributed to jihadists linked to al-Qaeda. One of them took place in Kati, just outside Bamako and in the heart of the Malian military apparatus.
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