General Discussion, page-10787

Situation in Mali: Counter-Terrorism Operation in the North and Clashes in the Center of the Country

Summary for August 1 - 21, 2024

After strikes (https://t.me/rybar/62584) on Tin-Zaouaten, patrols in the surrounding areas have also become more active. The Malian army, supported by the Wagner PMC, conducted raids in some villages, where they found informants of militants and weapons. After reconnaissance, the convoys returned with prisoners.

▪️The center of the country - the Mopti region - is also restless. Along the "road of death" from Douentza to Gossi, there have been continued explosions targeting government forces' vehicles. Also, in the vicinity, an army convoy that was heading to Dialassagou was ambushed by Islamists. 15 soldiers were killed in the ambush.

▪️Reconnaissance is being conducted along the Mauritanian border to identify and eliminate militant cells. But the territory of Mauritania was again used by militants from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group JNIM as a rear base for raids into Malian territory. Along the border, they attacked two army posts, from which the soldiers fled, leaving their weapons behind.

All this once again underscores the problems of the Malian armed forces. Of course, the government is increasing the number of personnel, but due to the lack of officers, the effectiveness of the reinforcements is extremely low.

This problem directly affects our interests in the country. So, during a telephone conversation between the Foreign Ministers of Russia and Mali, Lavrov stated (https://ria.ru/20240801/mali-1963464929.html) that Russian structures are ready to help improve the combat capability of the army. Most likely, this implies the deployment of the African Corps, which has been expected in the country for more than a month.

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