Day 17 of MALI FIGHTS BACK. While the Malian Armed Forces and the Africa Corps grind the JNIM–FLA logistics network into dust across northern Mali — striking gold and lithium nodes from Gao to Anéfis to Ménaka, arresting financing clerics, and rolling out a combined-arms doctrine that has reduced losses to roadside IEDs — Emmanuel Macron is in Nairobi shouting at a Kenyan audience to “shut up” about “respect.” This episode walks you through the verified facts, sourced from the Africa Corps communiqué of 6 May, the African Initiative, ORTM, APA News, Al Jazeera, and Kenyan reporting. We track the Intahaka gold node, the Goulamina lithium story, the European ransom pipeline that fed the Sahel terror economy, the cleric arrested coming from Senegal, the failed Kati double-objective, the soft-target propaganda pivot, the Chad Boko Haram attack at Barka Tolorom, and the Africa Forward Summit insult that should have ended in a shoe and ended in silence.
The Azawad Liberation Front has used drones in attacks against military outposts in northern Mali, where the Malian Army and mercenaries from Russia’s Africa Corps operate. Photo: Azawad Liberation Front
The recent attack on a Malian Army base near the community of Aguelhok was the latest example of insurgent groups in the country using armed drones against government and paramilitary forces.
The attack by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) in early April targeted a military base near the community used by the Malian Army (FAMa) and fighters working for Russia’s Africa Corps.
The attack was the latest in a series of FLA assaults on regional military bases. In late March, the group attacked a joint FAMa-Africa Corps base in nearby Anéfis. A few days before, they launched their first attack on the Aguelhok base.
A few weeks before that, the group struck Camp Firhoun ag Alinsar in Gao with 25 armed kamikaze drones. A week before that the FLA hit a FAMa-Africa Corps outpost in the Adghar-Takalot area south of Kidal. That attack destroyed an armored vehicle and killed or injured Malian Soldiers and Russian mercenaries.
The FLA claims to have struck Malian and Russian forces seven times during March.
The FLA has gained attention for its use of drones on the battlefield. The group used an armed Chinese-made Flydragon FDG410 surveillance drone to take down a Malian Army helicopter in Tessalit in February 2025. They were the first Sahelian nonstate group to adopt fiber-optic technology with drones in 2025, which first appeared among Ukrainian Soldiers fighting the Russian invasion of their country.
Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Islamic State Sahel Province likewise have deployed commercial-style armed drones in their own attacks against government and mercenary forces. JNIM’s drone use increased after former Malian Army Col. Hussein Ghulam moved from FLA to JNIM in 2024, bringing his extensive knowledge of drone operations with him.
Attackers have deployed commercial-style first-person-view (FPV) drones, including some armed drones that filmed attacks on military vehicles, buildings and fleeing Soldiers at the sites. These videos often are posted to social media.
Pairing FPV drones with easily acquired explosives creates a “devastatingly effective” low-cost weapon, according to analyst Shahryar Pasandideh, writing in his Substack publication Universal Dynamics.
The April attack on Aguelhok happened despite the presence of jamming technology designed to disrupt the link between the drone and its operator. That suggests the FLA may have used drones tied to their operator by fiber optic cables, which would protect them from signal jammers, according to analysts with the website West Africa Maps.
According to analyst Rueben Dass writing for the legal website Lawfare, the FLA “is learning from other conflicts and applying the lessons in their war in Mali.”
While the FLA has used drones primarily in northern Mali, drones create the potential for strikes elsewhere, according to Castor Vali Security Information Services, a risk analysis firm focused on Africa.
“Though the FLA has not carried out attacks deep inside territory controlled by the Malian government, drones offer them the capability to conduct precision attacks away from the frontlines — they are light, and don’t require multiple people to transport and operate them,” Castro Vali analysts wrote in a study of drone use in the Sahel.
Written by Africa Defense Forum and republished with permission. The original article can be found here.
Captured weapons from this operation have reportedly exposed a NATO supply chain, raising critical questions about the source of supplies for jihadists and al qaeda in the region and shaping the mali news agenda.
MALI ENCIRCLE KIDAL—WESTERN WEAPONS EXPOSE FOREIGN BACKING
6 May 2026
Eleven days ago, the FLA and JNIM launched the largest coordinated assault on Mali in fifteen years. Twelve thousand fighters across six cities. The Defence Minister killed at his own residence. Kidal taken by the FLA-JNIM joint command in the first hours. The Western press was already drafting the obituary of the Malian state. Eleven days later, on Day 11 of Mali Fights Back, the picture has reversed. The Alliance of Sahel States — Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger — has now closed the ring around Kidal in a joint operation that began with intense air campaigns on April 30 and ended with the May 1 cross-border strike on the Mauritanian corridor that destroyed two hundred reinforcements before they reached the line of contact.
By the FAMa General Staff’s own communiqué. By the Africa Corps’ own published intelligence. By the Government of Niger’s own cabinet statement. In this episode, we walk through the encirclement city by city, vector by vector. We examine the captured equipment — the Rheinmetall lot numbers, the NATO-origin MANPADS, the fibre-optic drones, the Stinger and Mistral systems found in the FLA columns. We answer the foreign instructor question with the audio intercepts and the captured-fighter testimonies. And we ask the bigger political question now sitting on Goïta’s desk — what is the post-conflict political settlement for the Tuareg communities of the north, after the FLA’s calculated decision to merge its operation with al-Qaeda’s Sahelian franchise? This is not Western analysis. This is the file as it stands on Day 11, drawn from the FAMa General Staff communiqués, the Africa Corps published intelligence, the Government of Niger cabinet statement, the Pravda Mali field reporting, and the Africanews wire from Niamey. The ring has closed. The fighters who took the city are now the fighters trapped inside it. And the question is no longer whether the AES can coordinate. It is what they do with what they have surrounded. On Day 11, the town of Kidal is encircled following a large-scale assault by FLI and Genin forces.
This coordinated attack, the largest in 15 years, struck six cities simultaneously and resulted in the death of the defense minister. Captured weapons from this operation have reportedly exposed a NATO supply chain, raising critical questions about the source of supplies for jihadists and al qaeda in the region and shaping the mali news agenda.
AES: The Mauritanian-Algerian double game – opponents or enablers of the fight against terrorism in the Sahel?
1 May 2026 Alfrede Kankabo
Terrorism in the Sahel does not evolve solely through the criminal’s own strength or the organizational weakness of targeted states like Mali, Burkina Faso, or Niger. The reasons are more insidious: multifaceted support orchestrated by imperialist powers such as France, channelled through hypocritical neighbours. Mauritania and Algeria; official “allies” in the fight against terrorism play a perverse double game, feigning condemnation of atrocities while covertly fuelling them.
Evidence: JNIM (Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims), in coalition with the FLA (Azawad Liberation Front), a separatist movement as criminal as it is bloodthirsty benefits from real-time intelligence.
Nouakchott, allied with Washington and Paris, tolerates training camps in its desert reaches while attending anti-terror summits for show.
Algeria is even more cynical. Algiers, posing as a regional mediator, harbours JNIM leaders and provides precise satellite data through its alliances.
The April 25 strikes in Mali the most massive in recent history; did not emerge from nowhere: they were guided by tactical intelligence from these sources.
Officially, Algeria disavows terrorism; in reality, it feeds it to weaken the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), seen as a threat to its Maghreb hegemony and persistent French influence.
It is time to name things: secretly supporting terrorists carries the same responsibility as pulling the trigger.
Africa does not need two-faced states. It needs countries that own their choices either fight terrorism sincerely, or stop hypocritically sitting on bodies meant to promote peace.
The day Mauritania, Algeria, and others end their double-talk, the Sahel can finally breathe.
Until then, the victims of attacks also carry the blood of these complicit silences on their graves. The truth is uncomfortable, but it is truth that will free Africa.
PROXY WAR IN AFRICA? France vs Russia Battle Erupts In Mali Crisis
30 April 2026
Mali’s conflict is entering a more complex and volatile phase after Niger’s Vigilance Brigades accused France of coordinating attacks aimed at destabilising Sahel states, marking a sharp escalation in regional tensions. The allegations come as Russian-linked African Corps units and Malian forces intensify military operations across Menaka, Kidal and Sevare against Islamist groups including ISIS and JNIM. France has not responded to the claims. The developments highlight growing concerns over possible foreign involvement in West Africa’s security crisis, raising fears of a broader geopolitical confrontation unfolding in the Sahel region.
Rebel checkpoints reported around Mali’s capital, northern town seized
Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Tuareg separatists continue their attacks against Mali’s military government.
By Al Jazeera Staff and News Agencies
Published On 1 May 20261 May 2026
Al-Qaeda-linked rebel fighters have reportedly set up checkpoints around Mali’s capital, Bamako, and seized the town of Tessalit in the north.
Reuters reported on Friday that Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has called on Malians to rise up to “bring down the junta”, and adopt Islamic law.
The latest developments come days after a series of attacks by JNIM and Tuareg separatists from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) resulted in the killing of the country’s defence minister, Sadio Camara.
Videos shared on social media by local accounts on Friday show armed fighters inside the Amachach base in Tessalit, with several military vehicles seen driving around.
Video verified by Reuters shows fighters driving through the town and raising the FLA flag.
Sad Moments in Mali : Fallen Brothers and the Black Winter
On By Dr. Y.
Map of Mali with its capital Bamako
Over the past week, there have been severe confrontations/battles in Mali between the government forces backed by the proud people of Mali and the jihadists forces funded by the West. These intense attacks culminated on April 25, 2026, with the deaths of the Malian Defense Minister, General Sadio Camara, members of his family, and countless soldiers and civilians. We have learned that the attacks were complex, coordinated, and simultaneous.
General Assimi Goita
As always, the Western media celebrated, and wondered where the Malian president was, and told us that the rebels were now in total control of Kidal. On Tuesday, President General Assimi Goïta, addressed the nation, and told us that, “A violent halt was put to the attackers who sought to establish a climate of violence.” These attacks, as President Assimi Goïta shared, were “coordinated [and] of an extreme gravity.”
ECOWAS Members – old map
The attacks were quite complex, as they were very sophisticated; the bandits were no longer thugs driving simple motorcycles, but advanced military vehicles instead, had high technology, missiles, and even satellite access for such coordination, and much more. As you can see, common bandits cannot have access to such high tech or intelligence: where do they get the money? It is clear that they are funded by the West, with France at the forefront, Ukraine, the E.U. and thus NATO, and the ECOWAS countries which are governed by puppets of France (Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Benin, Algeria, Mauritania). Remember that American general who lied about Ibrahim Traoré last summer visited several of these countries to establish other centers for the AFRICOM (What are American Troops doing in Nigeria ?)? This time, the jihadists hit almost simultaneously the cities of Gao, Kidal, Mopti, and Kati. You can see that this is an army, and not just ‘rebels’ as labelled by the western media, directly financed by the West with France in the front. It is said that they are numbering several thousand men.
Flag of Mali
President Goïta said, “Thanks to the promptness and professionalism of the armed and security forces, the attackers – whose objectives was to instill a climate of widespread violence in the affected localities –were dealt a decisive blow. Thanks to the calm of the personnel deployed and the maintenance of a cohesive chain of command, the enemy’s nefarious plot was thwarted, resulting in the neutralization of a significant number of attackers. As I speak to you now, security measures have been reinforced; the situation is under control, and operations involving combing, search, intelligence gathering, and security consolidation remain ongoing.”
AES Logo
This, as you can see, is the black winter (dark winter), President Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso referred to at the beginning of the year. However, what the enemy has forgotten is that Assimi Goïta, Ibrahim Traoré, Abdourahamane Tchiani are all proud descendants of the great Mali Empire, Songhai Empire, Kanem-Bornu Empire, and offspring of the mighty Sundiata Keïta, Kankan Musa, Samori Touré, and so many others; these are men whose ancestors have been fighting for their freedom for generations (like Malians fighting the French forces at the battle of Sikasso). The fight for freedom did not start yesterday in 2020, but has been ongoing for centuries. As President Goïta said, “Our people have made the choice, the choice of sovereignty and dignity. The choice is the expression of a national will, fully embraced and boldly asserted. It comes at a price, and we are fully aware of it. This choice is the only path worth taking if we wish to offer our children a future that is free, just, and prosperous.” As president Goïta told us in 2022, No Sacrifice is too Big for this Country.
Burkina Faso: Tax revenues soar to record high under revolutionary leadership
23 April 2026 Alfrede Kankabo
Thanks to the wave of patriotism instilled since the advent of the Popular Progressive Revolution; in both public and private services the sense of responsibility within the administration of Burkina Faso has been significantly strengthened, resulting in exceptional outcomes in domestic resource mobilization.
The virtuous governance and exemplary sobriety demonstrated by the highest authorities, particularly by Captain Ibrahim Traoré himself, continue to reinforce public trust.
Citizens now fulfill their tax obligations more willingly, paying their taxes and actively contributing to the fight against fraud in all its forms.
This virtuous circle of restored trust between citizens and the state is a precious achievement of the revolution one that must be preserved and consolidated.
Under the dynamic leadership of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, President of Faso and Head of State, the public servants truly servants of the people have once again demonstrated their unwavering commitment to mobilizing domestic revenue, proving that the administration of Burkina Faso is capable of performance on par with the best financial management bodies of the continent.
According to official data published by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, domestic revenue mobilization results for the first quarter of 2026 have far exceeded the most optimistic forecasts, setting a new record in the countrrecent history of the country.
Against an initial target of 733 billion CFA francs, 790.2 billion CFA francs were actually mobilized; an excess of more than 57 billion above expectations.
This remarkable performance reflects both the resilience of the national economy and the ever-increasing strength of the financial management agencies.
These excellent results stem from a combination of factors that testify to the relevance of the reforms undertaken under the leadership of Captain Ibrahim Traoré , notably the increased digitalization of tax and customs procedures, which reduces the risks of corruption and collusion between agents and taxpayers.
Mali in Crisis as Rebels, Terrorists Seize Towns After Defence Chief Killed
27 April 2026
Mali is facing one of its most serious security crises in years after coordinated attacks struck multiple cities, including Bamako, Gao, and Kati. Separatist rebels and al-Qaeda-linked fighters have reportedly seized key territories and military positions. The violence has killed Defence Minister Sadio Camara and injured senior military officials. At least 16 people have been wounded as fighting continues. The attacks signal a dangerous escalation, with rival armed groups aligning against the state. The situation raises fresh concerns about stability in Mali and the wider Sahel region.
