BAMAKO, Mali — Drone strikes by Mali’s navy regime killed eight Tuareg insurgent leaders within the city of Tinzaouatine within the north of the nation, a insurgent spokesman mentioned Sunday. It was the primary time because the begin of the insurrection in 2012 that so many Taureg leaders have been killed in a single assault.
“A number of synchronized drone strikes martyred some Azawad chief on December 1, 2024 in Tinzaouatine, close to the Algerian border,” spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane mentioned in a press release.
Azawad is the time period utilized by the separatists for northern Mali. The assertion from the separatists lists the names of eight Tuareg chiefs, the very best identified of whom is Fahad Ag Al Mahmoud, Secretary Normal of the Gatia, a Tuareg armed group.
Later Sunday night, the Normal Workers of the Malian armed forces confirmed the deaths of the insurgent leaders, whom it described as terrorists, “in a particular operation.” The navy assertion was broadcast on Malian nationwide tv channel ORTM.
“Clearly this can be a main loss to northern Malian teams since among the many victims there are key leaders who’ve been influential of their communities,” mentioned Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow on the Coverage Heart for the New South, a Moroccan suppose tank. “Nevertheless, it’ll additional intensify the anti sentiment towards Bamako, and the setback doesn’t imply the struggle is over.”
He mentioned “the junta has demonstrated with these airstrikes that it’s not afraid to make use of the air property (drones) it acquired anytime it might.”
The assault by Mali’s navy regime comes a day after the armed teams within the north introduced they had been merging right into a single political-military entity, now referred to as the Azawad Liberation Entrance. The brand new group’s mission is “the entire liberation of Azawad and the formation of the Azawad Authority”, mentioned Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesman for the teams, in a press launch dated Nov. 30.
