A jihadist attack on a Malian army camp in central Mali killed 27 soldiers Friday and several dozen “terrorists” were “neutralized,” the army said in a statement.
This is the deadliest attack reported against Malian forces in several months.
It took place on Friday morning at around 05:30 GMT, at the Mondoro camp in central Mali, also injuring 33 people, 21 of them seriously, and seven “missing” among the soldiers, according to the same source.
According to the army, 47 assailants were “neutralized” in the morning and 23 others were neutralized following a “sweep of terrorist sanctuaries”.
The Malian government declared a three-day national mourning period starting Saturday.
This attack comes in the midst of a military reconfiguration. In recent months, many reinforcements have arrived in Mali, presented by the Malian authorities as Russian instructors and by the West as mercenaries. France and its European allies in the Takuba special forces grouping have just announced their military withdrawal from Mali.
Against a backdrop of intense diplomatic tensions between the junta in power since 2020 and some of Mali’s partners, chief among them France, the Malian army has for weeks been proclaiming successes against the jihadists.
The Malian army has claimed the deaths of dozens of jihadists in recent months. A statement issued this week said that “fear (had) changed sides, the enemy is on the run towards the borders or hiding among the population.
This information is difficult to verify due to lack of access to the field or sources who can speak out.
On Friday, several sources in Mali indicated that an attack had left many dead in Mondoro.
A French military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the death toll from the attack by several hundred jihadists was between 40 and 50.
The source said that 21 vehicles had been seized by the jihadists, including several armored vehicles.
In addition, according to the same source, “the FAMa (Malian Armed Forces) have not requested the support of (the French anti-jihadist force) Barkhane.