Mali: Tuareg separatists claim control of key town

Mali’s internal strife has escalated once again amid reports that Tuareg separatists have claimed control of the northern Kidal region, according to DW plus agencies on April 26th.

Separatists from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), in partnership with al-Qaeda-linked jihadist militants, launched a wave of attacks against Russian mercenaries on April 25th.

On April 26th, a Tuareg spokesperson wrote on social media that “Fighting resumed in Kidal this morning.”

“We want to drive out the last Russian fighters who have taken refuge in a camp.”

Following this spate of attacks, the FLA claimed to have recaptured Kidal on April 25th; however, this claim could not be independently verified.

An indigenous Berger group primarily situated in northern Mali, Niger and southern Algeria, Tuareg separatists have waged war against Mali’s government since their uprising in 2012.

Separatists seek to establish independence and autonomy in northern Mali, which they call Azawad; they have repeatedly attacked Malian Armed Forces (FAMA) and Russian auxiliaries in their quest for independence.

Kidal is a Tuareg stronghold in northern Mali that borders Algeria; Mali’s military junta regained control of the region in November 2023.

The April 25th and 26th attacks were coordinated with the al-Qaeda affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

JNIM are behind the fuel blockade that Mali has experienced since September 2025, when militants exploited Mali’s landlocked status and reliance on fuel imports to destabilise the country, which JNIM envisions will bring about the establishment of an Islamic Republic.

Following the resumption of fighting in Kidal, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about renewed violence in a region already struggling to contain growing Islamist insurgencies and humanitarian crises.

Guterres’ office issued a statement: “The secretary‑general is deeply concerned by reports of attacks in several locations across Mali.”

“He strongly condemns these acts of violence, expresses solidarity with the Malian people and stresses the need to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.”

Since seizing power in 2021, Mali’s junta has increasingly sought Russian support in its fight against Islamist terrorism and Tuareg separatists.

Data from the Global Terrorism Index indicated that the Sahel accounted for nearly half of all terror-related deaths in 2025.

Islamist militants are particularly active in the border region between Mali and its junta-led Sahel allies, Niger and Burkina Faso; jihadist organisations affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have become increasingly entrenched in this region. Mali and its allies are former French colonies that have rejected Western ties in favour of strategic and security partnerships with Russia.

This is despite Russian mercenaries, particularly in Mali, being accused of human rights abuses, including sexual violence and executions of civilians.

DW via AFP, Reuters and AP, Maghrebi.org