On Saturday morning, a convoy of the Malian army and Russian forces was ambushed by Tuareg rebels allied with the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, according to the Malian army.

The military convoy was leaving the city of Anéfis in northern Mali, heading towards Gao, more than 240 kilometers to the south, but was attacked after covering about half the distance, specifically near the Tabrichat heights.

Conflicting accounts

Accounts of the attack conflicted; the Malian army said it was conducting a response operation, while the rebels said the convoy surrendered completely without resistance. Al-Qaeda, for its part, said the ambush caused heavy human losses among the Malian army and Russian forces.

In its first comment on the ambush, the Malian army posted a brief statement on social media announcing that 'a convoy of the Malian armed forces and their partners fell into an ambush set by armed terrorist groups in Tabrichat, in the Kidal region, this morning.' The army said that 'the response of the Malian armed forces is still ongoing,' adding in the same context: 'We will keep you updated on the latest developments regarding the situation assessment,' without mentioning losses or an initial toll from the ambush.

For its part, the Azawad Liberation Front, through its spokesman Mohamed Maouloud Ramadan, said: 'Our forces this morning managed to destroy a convoy of the enemy that had left Anéfis and Aguelhok heading towards Gao, near Tarkint.' The same source added in a social media post that the ambush 'resulted in deaths and injuries, and prisoners were taken, in addition to the destruction of several vehicles and the seizure of others in excellent working condition.'

Commenting on the Malian army's statement, the spokesman for the Azawad Liberation Front said: 'There was no reaction or resistance, and there is no ongoing response. Moreover, the Tabrichat area is not in the Kidal region, but in the Gao region.' He added: 'I find it hard to understand these people who die for a geography they do not even know.'

As for the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), loyal to Al-Qaeda, it issued a statement saying: 'Our brigades, in joint action with our allies from the Azawad Liberation Front, managed to trap a military convoy of the Malian army and the Russian legion in a precise ambush in the Tabrichat area between Gao and Anéfis this morning.' The group added that the ambush 'resulted in heavy human losses and severe material damage to the enemy (...) The group's media wing will provide more details later.'

Heavy losses

A military source in Gao told AFP: 'Our convoy, which was leaving Anéfis for Gao, was attacked this morning in Tabanckort. Fighting is still ongoing.' Meanwhile, a source from the Azawad Liberation Front said: 'We attacked the convoy of about fifty vehicles between Tabanckort and Tangara,' noting that 'the enemy abandoned several pieces of equipment, including trucks.'

A security source told AFP that 'the army suffered heavy losses, even if the rest of the convoy was able to continue,' while a local official acknowledged 'many victims.'

Meanwhile, activists close to the rebels and Al-Qaeda circulated videos and photos of the ambush on social media, showing burned Malian military vehicles on a battlefield apparently under the control of Tuareg fighters chanting 'Azawad,' the local name for the region in northern Mali that the Tuareg seek to separate from Mali.

The circulated images also showed some dead and wounded, as well as what are believed to be dozens of Malian soldiers in captivity, moving in rows, some with their hands bound, others with their hands raised in a position of surrender.

Anéfis battles

This is the first attack on the Malian army and Russian forces since the fierce battles of the past weeks in the Anéfis area, which last week resulted in the Malian army and Russian forces taking control of the city and the withdrawal of the rebels and Al-Qaeda.

In early July, a large coordinated attack by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims and the separatist Azawad Liberation Front temporarily captured the city, while besieging the army's military center, which was protected by the Malian armed forces supported by elements of the 'African Legion' affiliated with the Russian Defense Ministry.

On July 10, the Malian army, with support from Russian forces, regained control of Anéfis after six days of fierce clashes that left some 30 dead and 60 wounded in the Malian army, according to the official toll issued by the Malian army.

Since 2012, Mali has been experiencing a severe security crisis added to a dire economic crisis, fueled by violence from groups linked to extremist organizations, as well as local criminal groups and Tuareg separatist movements. Since two successive coups in 2020 and 2021, the country has been under military rule, whose leaders pledged to restore security and preserve territorial integrity.