Fighting broke out this Thursday afternoon between the Malian army, accompanied by its Wagner auxiliaries, and the rebels of the CSP-DPA (Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad) near Tinzaouatène, on the border with Algeria. The Fama have been patrolling along the border for several days. The Malian army announced on Monday that it had taken control of the town of Inafarak. At loggerheads, the Malian army and the CSP rebels had not clashed on the ground for several months.
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The fighting broke out around 3 p.m. local time in the Achibrich sector, near Tinzaouatène, a border town between Mali and Algeria.
The CSP rebels had abandoned the Tinzaouatène military camp in December 2023, after a drone strike by the Malian army which had caused several casualties, notably Colonel Hassane Ag Fagaga, an important military officer, while remaining present in the area.
Several sources among the CSP rebels assure that the fighting this Thursday was “ intense ” and claim four Malian army vehicles destroyed, including two armored vehicles. In a statement, the Malian army denounced a “ terrorist attack » against a « patrol “, assures to have led “ a strong reaction ” And “ follow this situation with particular attention. »
Both sides claimed to have inflicted losses on the enemy, but no reliable figures are available. A Malian army helicopter from Kidal reached the Fama position, without firing, probably to evacuate the wounded.
The Malian soldiers and their Wagner auxiliaries still managed to advance to the vicinity of the Tinzaouatène military camp, but without accessing it. The fighting stopped with nightfall. Is taking control of this camp the objective of the Fama and Wagner? Will the clashes resume? These ground battles are the first since the capture of Kidal, a stronghold of the CSP rebels, by the Malian army and Wagner in November 2023.
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