Rebels seize key-town of Anéfis as rebels tighten grip on northern Mali

Tuareg separatists and al-Qaeda affiliates appear to have secured control of a key town in northern Mali following a coordinated offensive by the rebels over the weekend. The Malian army and Russian mercenaries have been holed up in the key camp of Anéfis after the rebels launched their offensive on Saturday 4 July.

Issued on: 06/07/2026 - 19:16

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Coordinated attacks in northern Mali over the weekend saw some of the heaviest fighting in months following an offensive by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA – a Tuareg separatist group) and Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM – al-Qaeda affiliates).

The rebels targeted army positions backed by Russian paramilitaries (Africa Corps, formerly Wagner Group). According to a statement by the Malian army, the cities and towns included Anéfis, Aguelhoc, Gao, Sévaré and Kenioroba, just south of the capital Bamako.

Mohamed Ag Mohamed is the president of Kel Tamashaq association for France and Europe, a civil society organisation based in France that represents the Tuareg people of Mali.

Speaking to RFI, he said the main target of the weekend's attack was Anéfis, for its strategic location, to "conquer Kidal and the logistic base from the Africa Corps".

He added that to many in the movement, both in Mali and abroad, "the Malian army does not exist... we are victims of a Russian aggression on our own territory, much like the Ukrainians".

Significance of Anéfis

The coordinated attacks by the rebels on the northern city of Anéfis are significant, given it is about 100 kilometres from Kidal, considered to be the "capital" of the Tuareg nationalist cause, which has been under FLA control since 25 April.

Speaking to RFI, Paul Melly, a fellow with a focus on the Sahel and West Africa at Chatham House, said Anéfis appears to be under rebel control following the offensive on Sunday. Reports have also confirmed that Malian troops have been captured by the rebels, but many of their Russian allies "are holding out in the town's main military base", Melly added.

Army helicopters had attempted to deploy to Anéfis on Sunday to evacuate the wounded and deliver supplies, but were reportedly unable to land after coming under fire early in the day.

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'Serious military setback'

While the Malian army issued a statement soon after the first round of attacks on Saturday assuring victory to the Malian people, it delayed its response following the second offensive on Sunday that included Anéfis.

"The loss of control of Anéfis is a serious military setback, while the other attacks highlight the ongoing scale of the rebel threat and the government's continuing inability to reassert its control nationwide," Melly told RFI. The Malian army only issued a brief statement mid-morning on Monday 6 July to assure citizens of victory over "these hostile enemies".

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Who are the rebels?

The rebels involved in this latest offensive are the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and an al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist coalition. The key leaders of the JNIM jihadist alliance are Iyad Ag Ghaly, a Tuareg from northern Mali who founded Ansar Dine, the Tuareg jihadist faction, 15 years ago, and Amadou Koufa, a known preacher from the Peul community in central Mali who leads the Katibat Macina element of JNIM, explains Melly.

Along with the FLA, JNIM is pursuing overlapping but diverging goals. Both want to secure the north from the current junta run by Assimi Goïta since 2021. The FLA specifically is seeking to secure an independent and secular Tuareg homeland in the north of Mali, "Azawad".

JNIM, on the other hand, also wants to take power away from Goïta but to establish sharia, Islamic law, throughout the country.

Since Goïta took power in 2021, an authoritarian rule has been imposed, with much of the opposition being silenced. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) recently noted in June 2026 that since Goïta took over as the transitional power, the "regime has severely eroded press freedom, weaponising the justice system against the media."