According to a press release relayed by the SITE Intelligence Group – an organization specializing in the study of extremist groups –, on Friday April 21, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM, or JNIM according to the Arabic acronym) claimed the attack that claimed the life on Tuesday of Oumar Traoré, chief of staff of Colonel Assimi Goïta, the president of Mali’s military-dominated transition.
The ambush organized near the Mauritanian border by this jihadist group affiliated with Al-Qaida was also fatal to two other soldiers, and two people were taken hostage, according to the text mentioned by SITE.
GSIM also claimed to have carried out another attack on Wednesday, killing seven soldiers in an ambush between Sokolo and Farabougou in central Mali. According to SITE, three of its fighters were killed on Wednesday. The Malian army has not confirmed the incident.
On Tuesday, the Malian presidency announced the death of four people in an ambush near the town of Nara, some 400 kilometers north of Bamako, in a region plagued by jihadist attacks. The “president’s social work” delegation had come to inspect well drilling for local populations near the city of Nara, not far from the Wagadou forest, known to house jihadist bases. An administrative official in the region told Agence France-Presse that “the mission did not have an adequate escort”.
Violence spreads across the country
Mali has been plagued by the spread of jihadists and violence of all kinds since the outbreak of rebellions in the north of the country in 2012. Despite the presence of international forces, this violence has spread to the center of the country, to Burkina Faso and to the neighboring Niger. The phenomenon progresses towards the south.
The security turmoil goes hand in hand with a deep humanitarian and political crisis. The colonels, who took power by force in 2020, pushed for the rupture of the military alliance with France and its partners in 2022, and turned to Russia. The colonels in power have pledged under international pressure to hand over to civilians by March 2024.