Mali: After a Week of Attacks, Military Government Restructures and Seeks to Stabilize Security

Nearly a week after a series of coordinated attacks by rival armed groups across Mali, the country's military government has begun restructuring and implementing security measures.

On April 25, the al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for attacks on military bases across the country, including in the capital, Bamako. JNIM said it had "captured" the northern city of Kidal in a joint operation with the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a predominantly Tuareg rebel group it had previously clashed with.

The wave of attacks is considered one of the biggest security crises Mali has faced since 2012. JNIM controls vast rural areas, especially in the north and center, and has active cells around the capital.

Meanwhile, Tuareg separatist fighters from the FLA, who are fighting for an independent Tuareg state in the north, are battling the army and Russian mercenaries deployed since 2021. Together, FLA and JNIM now control Kidal, but they also aim to seize Gao, the largest northern city, as well as Menaka and Timbuktu, to complete their self-declared Azawad state.

Despite differing ideologies and occasional clashes, the two groups sometimes cooperate: they operate in the same areas and draw from the same pool of fighters from disaffected communities.

What has the government done since the attacks?

Mali's military leader, Assimi Goita, assumed the role of Defense Minister after his predecessor, Sadio Camara, was killed in last week's rebel attacks, state broadcaster ORTM reported Monday. Camara died when a car loaded with explosives driven by a suicide bomber crashed into his residence, the government said.

The presidential decree appointing Goita to the position states that he will also continue to serve as president.

Have civilians been affected by the attacks?

In addition to the defense minister, at least 23 people have been killed in clashes between armed groups and security forces supported by Russian mercenaries. The UN children's agency UNICEF said civilians, including children, were among the dead and wounded.

In a report released Tuesday, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said there were "disturbing reports of extrajudicial executions and abductions allegedly carried out by members of the security forces following the attacks of April 25 and 26." OHCHR cited the abduction of lawyer and politician Mountaga Tall, along with three relatives of exiled politician Oumar Mariko. Malian authorities are investigating soldiers suspected of involvement in the attacks.

Al Jazeera correspondent Nicolas Haque reported that since the defense minister's death, officers, police, and even lawyers have been arrested. "Critics call it a witch hunt. They are accused of colluding with the enemy. Authorities say last month's attack could only have happened because of 'traitors within,'" the correspondent quoted.

OHCHR also said there were alarming reports of hunger amid the recent security crisis. "On May 3, the mayor of the village of Diafarabe in the Mopti region called on authorities to act within 48 hours or the population would starve, as the village had run out of food. Diafarabe and the capital Bamako are currently under a JNIM blockade," OHCHR said, calling for an end to fighting and respect for international humanitarian law.

Why are Russian mercenaries fighting in Mali?

Previously, European countries, primarily France, had helped the Malian government combat instability for over a decade. But in 2023, they withdrew after relations with the military government soured and Mali increasingly aligned with Russia. In December 2021, Goita invited Russia's Wagner mercenary group to support the government after asking French forces to leave.

Last June, Wagner announced it was withdrawing from Mali after more than three and a half years of operations, claiming its mission was complete. However, Russian fighters remain under the banner of the Africa Corps, another Kremlin-backed paramilitary force. Following last week's attacks, Malian troops and Russian fighters clashed with JNIM fighters.

Correspondent Haque reported that about 2,000 paramilitaries are currently in Mali. "Their mission: to protect Mali's military leadership." On April 28, Russia's Defense Ministry also said its forces were regrouping and had helped thwart a coup plot in the country.

What has happened since the attacks?

On May 4, Al Jazeera obtained exclusive footage showing dozens of Malian soldiers held as prisoners by Tuareg separatists in the north. Correspondent Haque said about 130 Malian soldiers were captured in Kidal, after Russian fighters fled from JNIM and FLA fighters. The footage shows one man identifying himself as a paramilitary, another as a military officer, and another as a policeman. According to one soldier, wounded prisoners have been treated at a hospital.

The FLA claims to respect human rights and not target civilians, but human rights groups have accused JNIM fighters of rape, torture, and abuse. "They are not just prisoners of war, but potentially bargaining chips in a crumbling chain of command, and any peace negotiations now begin with their fate," correspondent Haque noted.