Jihadists execute captured Malian soldiers

Mali’s internal strife has escalated once again amid reports that soldiers captured by jihadists have been executed, according to RFI and agencies on July 20th.

JNIM, an al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist group, summarily executed 18 soldiers following a joint attack with the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), Malian security forces confirmed.

On July 18th, a Malian Armed Forces (FAMA) and Russian Africa Corps convoy was ambushed by JNIM and FLA rebels in the northern Gao region’s Tabrichat, as it returned from Anéfis, situated in the Kidal region.

At least 50 soldiers were killed in the attack; images released by JNIM appeared to show unarmed soldiers sitting or lying in the sand, riddled with bullets.

Hamza Ag Iyad, one of JNIM leader Iyad Ag Ghaly’s sons, was reportedly involved in the executions; Mali’s junta announced a $3.5 million reward for information leading to the arrest or killing of Ghaly on June 6th.

FLA rebels have distanced themselves from the executions, saying, “We attacked the same convoy, but each of us on our own side; the groups are not mixed. JNIM executed its own prisoners.”

Despite this, the FLA reportedly captured 20 soldiers during the July 18th ambush.

Tuareg separatists have claimed to hold over 200 FAMA troops captive as “prisoners of war” in Kidal since coordinated attacks in partnership with JNIM on April 25th.

Kidal, a Tuareg stronghold, was recaptured by FLA fighters on April 25th; Malian authorities had previously regained control of the territory in late 2023.

Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, an FLA spokesperson, stated that “senior officers, non-commissioned officers” were among those held captive.

In an apparent attempt to gain “respectability” in contrast with FAMA and its Russian auxiliaries, the FLA has invited international organisations to verify the troops’ detention conditions in Kidal.

Russian and Malian forces have been implicated in alleged war crimes, including murders of civilians, particularly in the Fulani community, which is persecuted throughout the Sahel over suspected Islamist ties.

The July 18th ambush is not the first time that convoys were attacked; JNIM and FLA militants attacked an army convoy in the northern Tin Araban region on July 9th.

On July 12th, JNIM ambushed another convoy between the central  Niono and Nampala regions.

Before April 25th, FLA rebels attacked military convoys in the Kidal region on February 18th and March 4th.

Tuareg separatists, who receive Ukrainian funding, have waged war against Malian authorities since their latest uprising in 2012; they are fighting for independence over a northern territory they call Azawad.

RFI and agencies, Maghrebi.org