At least 50 Malian soldiers have been killed after an army convoy was ambushed by Tuareg separatist fighters and jihadists near the northern town of Anefis, according to local officials and military sources.
The attack took place on Saturday as government troops were departing the strategic town following weeks of intense clashes over control of the area.
Officials said the assault was jointly claimed by the Tuareg separatist group, the Front for the Liberation of Azawad and the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims.
A local official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, described the attack as one of the deadliest suffered by the Malian military in recent years.
“The provisional toll is extremely heavy, with more than 50 soldiers killed and at least 24 taken prisoner,” the official said.
A military source also confirmed the heavy casualties, revealing that some troops were reportedly executed during the assault.
“Some of our men were simply executed. We are trying to determine what made our forces so vulnerable to the attack,” the source said, adding that an investigation had been launched into the circumstances surrounding the ambush.
Reports indicated that Russian paramilitary personnel from the Africa Corps, who have been supporting Malian government forces, were not caught in the attack because they had already arrived at their destination in Gao before the convoy was ambushed.
A community leader from the Gao region said no Russian fighters were among the casualties.
“No Russians were killed. Those who died were Malian soldiers and members of state-backed militias,” the community leader said.
Earlier this month, fighters from the FLA and JNIM briefly seized Anefis and surrounded a military installation used by Malian troops and Russian paramilitary forces, highlighting the growing security challenges in northern Mali.
While the Malian army acknowledged on Saturday that one of its convoys had been ambushed by what it described as “terrorist armed groups,” it did not disclose casualty figures.
Mali has been under military rule since successive coups in 2020 and 2021. Despite pledges by the ruling junta to restore security, the country continues to grapple with persistent attacks by jihadist groups and separatist movements, particularly in its northern and central regions.
