MALI — The Malian army reported on Saturday that several towns across the north of the country were targeted by rebel attacks. Malian military and security sources said the attacks took place in five locations: Gao, Sévaré, Aguelhok, Kenieroba, and Anefis. Fighting began around 5 a.m. local time.

Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), stated in a Facebook post that his group was targeting Anefis. Ramadane told the Reuters news agency that FLA fighters attacked Anefis, located in the northeastern Kidal region. He told AFP that "several positions have fallen, but fighting is still underway inside the city."

A local official in Gao told Reuters that gunfire and rockets had been launched at a military camp since before dawn. In Sévaré, a security source told AFP that explosions rang out around 5 a.m., and several aircraft were spotted flying over the town shortly thereafter. AFP reported that a prison in Kenieroba was attacked, citing residents and security sources. A prisoner in the Kenieroba facility told AFP that the major prison complex was under attack.

An Anefis resident contacted by AFP said "armed groups are in the town, but the army is still putting up resistance." The resident added that the camp in Anefis had not yet fallen. The attacks occurred in areas including a northern town where government forces and Russian fighters are based, as well as a town south of the capital, Bamako.

Why It Matters

Mali has previously faced insurgencies fought by militants affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, alongside a separatist rebellion in the country's north. Anefis and Aguelhok are the last remaining locations where Mali's army maintains a presence in the Kidal region. Government and Russian troops deployed in Anefis in the wake of attacks on April 25 and 26. Following military coups, the juntas in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso turned from Western allies to Russia for help combating Islamic militants.