In Mali, ex-rebels from the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) claim to have shot down a Malian army plane on the weekend of September 9-10, 2023, near Gao. The army denies this and cites “technical problems”. The armed groups signatories to the peace agreement announce that they are now adopting “self-defense” measures. A new sign of a resumption of war?
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The ex-rebels of the Coordination of Movements of Azawad claim to have beaten down » on September 9, 2023 a plane of the Malian army and its Russian auxiliaries from the Wagner group in Tinaouker, a few dozen kilometers north of Gao, ” following bombings on its positions “.
The day before, Gatia, another armed group signatory to the 2015 peace agreement, an ally of the CMA, had already denounced the bombing of one of its bases by a Malian army helicopter in Afawlawlaw, near Gao.
Technically this is not a declaration of war
In the process, the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP-PSD), which brings together almost all of the armed groups in the North that signed the 2015 peace agreement, denounced on September 10 the “ current strategy of the Malian authorities of transition, by attributing to them multiple breaches of the ceasefire » over the last few weeks.
The CSP announces to take “ all measures of self-defense against the forces of the junta throughout the territory of Azawad “, that is to say on the northern regions of maliand even calls on civilian populations to stay away from Malian military installations as much as possible.
Read alsoMali: tense situation in the north between armed groups and the government
Technically, this is not a declaration of war, since the CMA invokes self-defense measures and not offensive provisions. But these remarks seem at the very least to herald new hostilities.
It should be noted that the MSA, an armed group member of the CSP, has dissociated itself from this declaration and calls for ” favor dialogue “.
The army recognizes the crash of a plane but rather evokes ” technical issues »
The Malian transitional authorities have only reacted to part of these declarations. The Chief of Staff of the Malian Air Force spoke on Sunday evening on ORTM, state television. General Alou Boi Diarra recognized that the Malian forces had “ lost » a Sukhoi SU 25 attack aircraft « who was on a territorial defense mission », without specifying what this mission consisted of and what its objectives were.
But, according to the Malian general, these are “ technical issues » which forced the crew to eject from the aircraft, which then crashed. Without establishing a causal link, General Alou Boi Diarra evokes a “ severe thunderstorm » in Gao and specifies that the crew was recovered “ safe and sound » by Malian soldiers deployed on the ground.
Numerous photographs of the wreckage of the Malian army plane were posted on social networks. If they make it possible to confirm that it is indeed a Sukhoi, they do not make it possible to determine with certainty whether shots could have damaged the aircraft to the point of causing it to fall, as the CMA asserts, or whether it was a damage which was indeed at the origin of the crash, as assured by the Malian army.
During his televised intervention, General Alou Boi Diarra, however, made no comment on the CSP’s declaration which raises fears, once again, but even more than before, of a resumption of fighting between the armed groups of the North and the Malian Armed Forces (Fama).
Asked by RFI, the army general staff and the Malian Ministry of National Reconciliation, in charge of the 2015 peace agreement, did not wish to comment either.
A 30-day curfew established throughout the Gao region
Note that a curfew was established on September 9 throughout the Gao region between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., for 30 days, until October 9, with possible renewal. The governor of the Gao region also banned the circulation of Land Cruiser pick-ups and “ tinted vehicles “, ” between towns, villages and hamlets and camps “, “ throughout the Gao region “. A decision taken on Saturday, the day after the jihadist attack which targeted the military camp and the Gao airport, but which could also create friction with the signatory armed groups.
Read alsoMali: series of terrorist attacks in the regions of Gao and Timbuktu
Furthermore, the Malian transitional authorities have still not communicated new results after the attacks of September 7 in the regions of Gao and Timbuktu. A boat carrying civilians and soldiers, then a Malian army camp, had been targeted. The provisional death toll on Thursday showed 64 deaths, with numerous local security and civilian sources putting the death toll in excess of a hundred victims.
As for the attack on the military camp and Gao airport on Friday, targeted by kamikaze vehicles and shell fire, it did not give rise to any official assessment. All these attacks were claimed by Jnim, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims, linked to al-Qaeda.