At least 10 soldiers killed in JNIM attack on central Mali army base

At least 10 soldiers were killed Sunday after militants from the Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM group attacked an army base in central Mali, according to security and local sources.

The military camp in San village was “temporarily occupied by the attackers,” a security source told AFP, giving a provisional death toll of around 10 soldiers.

Residents reported intense clashes in the early hours of Sunday, with explosions and sustained gunfire heard across the area. “I can confirm that it was a terrorist attack,” a resident said, adding that calm had returned after the fighting.

The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the assault. In a statement, the group said it had “taken full control” of a Malian army barracks in San, in the Segou region.

Mali’s military said its forces mounted a “vigorous riposte” and had brought the situation under control.

The attack comes as Mali continues to grapple with a deepening security crisis that began in 2012. The country has faced repeated attacks by Al-Qaeda- and Daesh-linked groups, alongside violence involving criminal organisations and Tuareg separatist movements.

The military has ruled Mali since successive coups in 2020 and 2021, after promising to restore security and defeat armed groups. However, militant attacks have continued to intensify.

Fighting has escalated in recent months following a major offensive in late April by an alliance involving JNIM and the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg separatist group. The offensive resulted in the death of Mali’s defence minister and the capture of the strategic northern town of Kidal, dealing a major blow to the military junta.

On July 18, at least 50 soldiers were killed in northern Mali when a military convoy came under attack by JNIM and the FLA.