Mali probes soldiers over role in Jihadi attacks

Mali is investigating several soldiers suspected of involvement in coordinated attacks by jihadi and separatist fighters across the West African country last week, authorities said late Friday.

The rebel alliance, made up of JNIM, a group linked to al-Qaida, and Tuareg rebels, launched its largest assault in over a decade on April 25 as part of efforts to topple Mali's military government, which seized power during the pandemic.

The near-simultaneous assaults, in more than half a dozen locations, including near the capital Bamako, killed several people, including Defense Minister Sadio Camara and several members of his family.

What do we know?

The public prosecutor at the Military Court of Bamako said there was "solid evidence regarding the complicity of certain military personnel" in the attacks, including serving and recently dismissed officers.

The officers helped in "the planning, coordination, and execution" of the attacks, the prosecutor's statement, read on state television, said.

Among those implicated are three active duty soldiers, an army veteran and a soldier who was dismissed and killed in one of the attacks.

"The first arrests have been successfully carried out and all other perpetrators, co-perpetrators, and accomplices are actively being sought," the statement continued.

The prosecutor also alleged the involvement of Malian politicians, including Oumar Mariko, a prominent politician in exile. Mariko has historically denied collaborating with jihadists.

What's the latest on the conflict?

On Friday, the Tuareg rebels said they had captured a strategic military camp in the northern town of Tessalit after the withdrawal of Mali's army and its Russian mercenary allies from the base.

Tessalit is strategically located near an airport and the border with Algeria.

The camp's seizure follows the junta's loss of the major city of Kidal during last weekend's attacks.

Malian authorities have yet to confirm whether the army has pulled out of the camp.

Over the past few days, the rebels have cut most road access to Bamako and, on Friday, called for a public uprising against the junta and a transition to Sharia law.

Since 2012, Mali has faced an ongoing war that began with a Tuareg rebellion in the north, fueled by weapons from Libya. The assault was quickly hijacked by jihadists.

The revolt sparked a wider crisis in West Africa's Sahel region, south of the Sahara Desert, with Islamist insurgencies spreading violence and instability across Burkina Faso, Niger and beyond.

Frustrated by the civilian government's failure to contain the insurgency, the Malian military staged coups in 2012, 2020, and 2021, with Colonel Assimi Goita ultimately taking power and leading the current junta.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse