The analyst warned about separatist risks.
On Monday, the Malian army announced that it had killed several commanders of terrorist groups during an operation in the town of Tinzaouaten, located in the northern Kidal region.
According to the army’s statement, the operation, which took place on Sunday, targeted several senior members of a terrorist organization operating in northern Mali.
The statement mentioned, “These terrorists were involved in several targeted attacks against civilians and the FAMa (Armed Forces of Mali), hindering the mission to secure the Kidal region.” It also noted that Tinzaouaten served as a strategic base for planning and executing actions that threatened regional security.
Boubacar Bocoum, a political analyst at the SENE Strategic Research Center, commented on the development: “There is a fear of creating another state, like the one sought by Polisario. Recently, with the dissolution of several armed groups, there is a trend toward creating new entities.”
He added, “The success of this operation demonstrates the determination of the Malian army to fight all forms of terrorism and strengthen national security.”
In a related development, five armed separatist groups in Mali announced on Saturday the formation of an alliance under the name Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). The FLA is calling for independence for part of northern Mali.
The alliance includes the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA), the Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA), the Azawad Arab Movement (MAA), and the Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies (GATIA). These groups, alongside Al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Macina Liberation Front (FLM), are considered terrorist organizations by the Malian government.
Following the collapse of the peace agreement signed in 2015 between Mali’s transitional government and armed separatist groups, and the deployment of the Malian army and Russian supporters to Kidal in November 2023, armed groups that had previously signed the peace deal resumed their rebellion.
The Tuareg rebel alliance, the Permanent Peace, Security, and Development Strategic Framework (CSP-DSA), was working to protect civilians in the north and secure a “political and legal status” for the region, either within or outside the framework of the Malian state.
