Mali: Government drone strikes kill eight Tuareg rebel leaders
Drone strikes in northern Mali have killed eight Tuareg rebel leaders said a rebel spokesperson on November 1st.
According to AP, Mali’s military regime struck targets in the town of Tinzaouatine, killing the Tuareg rebel leaders, including the notorious Fahd Ag Al Madmoud, Secretary General of one of the armed factions.
General Staff of the Malian armed forces confirmed later that day that they had carried out “a special operation” which had led to the deaths of the “terrorist” leaders.
Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Moroccan think tank, said: “Clearly this is a major loss to northern Malian groups since among the victims there are key leaders who have been influential in their communities.”
READ: 4 executives from Canadian mining company arrested in Mali
“However, it will further intensify the anti sentiment toward Bamako, and the setback doesn’t mean the fight is over,” he added.
According to MilitaryAfrica, Mali’s transitional president, General Assimi Goita, had presented new Akinci drones from Turkey on November 26th, with at least two being photographed.
Mali’s Minister of Defence, General Sadio Camara, said: “With these new aircraft acquired from the national budget, we are taking a new course.
“They will help strengthen the territorial grid and neutralise threats wherever they are.”
READ: French government facing no-confidence vote
The new equipment highlights Turkey’s growing influence in the region, especially poignant owing to the weakening relations with former colonial ruler France and the West.
Mali is Africa’s fourth confirmed country to own Akinci drones, after BurkinaFaso, Ethiopia and Libya.
The growing popularity of Akinci drones can put down to their ability to carry out intelligence and bombing operations at a low cost.
AP and MilitaryAfrica
