Mali Arrests Soldiers 'Linked' To Coordinated Militant Attacks On Bases – The Whistler Newspaper
Malian authorities have arrested soldiers suspected of collaborating with jihadi and separatist fighters in last week’s coordinated attacks on military bases across the country, in a development that has exposed potential treachery within the ranks of the country’s own armed forces.
A prosecutor at a military tribunal near the capital Bamako confirmed that five suspects had been identified, including three active duty soldiers, one retired soldier, and a soldier who was killed during fighting near the main army base in Kati, 15 kilometres outside Bamako.
“The first arrests have been successfully carried out, and all other perpetrators, co-perpetrators, and accomplices are actively being sought,” the prosecutor said in a statement read on state television Friday.
The coordinated assault on April 25 struck at the heart of Mali’s military government, which came to power following coups in 2020 and 2021. The attacks were carried out by militants linked to al-Qaeda and separatist Tuareg rebels.
The al-Qaeda linked insurgent group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, known as JNIM, has called on Malians to rise up against the government and transition to Sharia law, and has vowed to besiege Bamako. Security sources said the group had set up checkpoints around the city of four million people.
Fighting spread across multiple cities including Gao, Sévaré, Mopti and Kidal, with rebel forces claiming control of significant territory before Malian forces pushed back. The Africa Corps, Russia’s military contractor operating in Mali, withdrew from Kidal following the assault.
Military leader Assimi Goita said in a televised address that the situation was under control and vowed to neutralise the insurgent groups behind the attacks. The arrests of serving soldiers suggest the security breach runs deeper than an external assault.
Mali has been embroiled in conflict since 2012, with the security situation worsening significantly after the withdrawal of French and UN forces and the subsequent reliance on Russian military support.