UPDATE: Mali: JNIM jihadists claim coordinated attacks with Tuareg rebels
In breaking news, the following story has emerged from the international scene.
04/25/2026 – 10:45 p.m. This live is now over, thank you for following us. 04/25/2026 – 10:44 p.m. Update on the situation in the evening by our expert on jihadist movements “The junta is not in danger of falling (…) but in the north and in the center, the situation remains in favor of the rebel groups and the jihadist groups who have worked hand in hand”, explains Wassim Nasr, journalist at France 24 specializing in jihadist movements. 04/25/2026 – 8:20 p.m. The JNIM press release specifies the sites attacked on Saturday The jihadists of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM), affiliated with Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility on Saturday for a series of attacks coordinated with the Tuareg rebellion against strategic positions of the junta in power in Mali, on the outskirts of Bamako and in several major towns in the country. In a press release, the JNIM, which has been fighting for years against the military in power in Bamako, declares that it takes “responsibility” for the attacks that targeted Saturday “the headquarters of Malian President Assimi Goïta, the headquarters of Malian Minister of Defense Sadio Camara, the international airport” of Bamako, the capital, and “military sites in the neighboring town of Kati.” The JNIM also claims to have taken the key town of Kidal (north), “after a successful operation carried out against the Malian army and the mercenaries of the Russian corps with the participation of our partners from the FLA” (Azawad Liberation Front), the Malian Tuareg rebellion. 04/25/2026 – 8:12 p.m. JNIM claimed responsibility for its attacks via a press release JNIM jihadists claimed responsibility for the attacks which struck several towns in Mali this Saturday, in coordination with Tuareg rebels, according to this press release noted in particular by Wassim Nasr, journalist at France 24, an expert on jihadist movements. 04/25/2026 – 8:00 p.m. JNIM jihadists claim coordinated attacks with Tuareg rebels in the country 04/25/2026 – 6:26 p.m. The FAMa and the Russian forces entrenched in their camps in Gao and Kidal The Malian army (FAMa) and the Russian forces are entrenched in their camps in Gao and Kidal, where they remain under fire from mortars and heavy machine guns of the attackers, according to Wassim Nasr, journalist at France 24 expert on jihadist movements. 04/25/2026 – 4:53 p.m. Update from the regional correspondent of France 24 at midday “There are Malian army tanks at certain strategic points in the town of Kati, but at the northern exit of the town, we see jihadists on motorcycles who are still there”, explains Serge Daniel, the regional correspondent of France 24, at midday. Watch his speech by clicking on the video below. 04/25/2026 – 4:17 p.m. The AU “strongly” condemns attacks exposing civilians to “significant dangers” The African Union (AU) “strongly condemns” the attacks carried out on Saturday by armed groups in Mali in the capital and several localities across the country, considering that they “risk exposing civilian populations to significant dangers”. “The President of the Commission (of the AU) strongly condemns these attacks which risk exposing civilian populations to significant dangers,” said a press release from the pan-African organization. 04/25/2026 – 3:43 p.m. “The Jnim and the FLA have common enemies but different agendas” Jean-Hervé Jezequel, director of the Sahel project at the International Crisis Group, speaks on France 24 about the coordinated attacks in Mali. 04/25/2026 – 2:47 p.m. The rise of Jnim, a danger for the entire region Jnim will not stop at the borders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger according to researcher Thomas van Linge, who emphasizes that this group has retained an ideology of transnational jihadism. 04/25/2026 – 2:42 p.m. The Sahel, a region undermined by jihadist rebellions This September 2025 map distributed on social networks clearly shows the prevalence of jihadist rebellions, or nationalist in the case of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), in the Sahel. 04/25/2026 – 2:37 p.m. The African Union provides support to the Malian government 04/25/2026 – 2:31 p.m. Update from the France 24 correspondent on the situation in Mali Serge Daniel, regional correspondent for France 24, provides an update on the situation in Mali. At 11 a.m. local time, the situation was still confused in Kati, near Bamako, the headquarters of the junta. Attackers were very present in the streets of Gao and Kidal. “According to my information, the jihadists of Jnim and the rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front are on the same ground and there are bridges between them,” explains the journalist on social networks. 04/25/2026 – 1:33 p.m. The Malian army says the situation is “under control” after the attacks perpetrated in Bamako and other cities “The search operations continue, the situation is under control”, wrote the Malian army general staff in a new press release. 04/25/2026 – 1:31 p.m. The Tuareg rebels of the FLA claim to have taken the key town of Kidal in the North The Malian Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) claim to have taken control on Saturday of the key town of Kidal, in the north of Mali, after attacking this former stronghold of their rebellion which was until now occupied by the Malian army and Russian soldiers.”The town of Kidal has come under the control of our armed forces,” the FLA group wrote in a message on Facebook. “Our FLA troops control Kidal, most of Kidal. The governor of Kidal took refuge with his elements in the former Minusma camp,” the UN mission, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the Malian rebels, told AFP. AFP was not immediately able to verify this claim from an independent source. The FLA is a coalition of predominantly Tuareg armed independence groups created in November 2024, which claim the territory of Azawad in the north of the country. The group lost control of several localities in the North at the end of 2023 after an offensive by the Malian army and Russian mercenaries which culminated in the capture of Kidal, a bastion of the independence demand and major sovereignty issue for the central State. 04/25/2026 – 1:26 p.m. “The Jnim jihadists and the FLA rebels are on the same ground”, describes our journalist Serge Daniel 04/25/2026 – 1:09 p.m. The house of the Malian Minister of Defense Sadio Camara was allegedly destroyed in Kati, according to different sources This video shared by our journalist Wassim Nasr on X shows the house of the Malian Minister of Defense, Sadio Camara, destroyed. “The house of Sadio Camara, Minister of Defense, in Kati was destroyed and a helicopter was lowered to Gao,” said a private source quoted earlier by journalist note. The fate of the Minister of Defense, General Sadio Camara, is the subject of intense speculation. According to residents, the minister’s residence was the scene of a strong explosion which caused significant material damage, destroying a large part of the building. If persistent rumors indicate potential injuries to the senior officer, his immediate entourage has formally denied these allegations. According to those close to him, General Camara was outside his home at the time of the explosion and would be “safe and sound”. 04/25/2026 – 12:51 The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) says it has taken control of several positions in Kidal and Gao Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a predominantly Tuareg rebel alliance, said on social media that his forces had taken control of several positions in Kidal and Gao. Reuters could not independently verify this information. Four security sources said al Qaeda’s regional branch, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (Jnim), was also involved in Saturday’s attacks. Jnim, which frequently stages attacks on military installations across much of Mali, did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack reported by the Malian army. The Islamic State in the Sahel Province (ISSP) also did not claim responsibility for this attack. 04/25/2026 – 12:29 The Malian army describes ongoing fighting with “terrorist groups” in Bamako and in several localities Fighting was underway on Saturday on the outskirts of the Malian capital Bamako and in several localities in the interior of the country between soldiers and “terrorist groups” having attacked barracks in particular, the Malian army announced in a press release, adding that a response is being organized.
Analysis and Perspective:
This development could have far-reaching consequences for global politics in the months ahead.
This is part of a broader trend that has been reshaping the geopolitical landscape in recent months.
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Source: This article was originally published in another language by France 24 – Infos, news & actualités – L'information internationale en direct and has been translated and adapted for our global English-speaking audience. Read the original article here.