Russian Mercenaries Withdraw from Kidal Following Clashes with Separatist Forces

Russian mercenaries hired by Mali's military have agreed to withdraw from Kidal after two days of clashes, the country's separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) group has said, as it claims to control the city.

This comes after the group - which seeks a breakaway ethnic Tuareg state in the north - took part in co-ordinated attacks by armed groups across Mali, including the capital, Bamako, on Saturday.

Mali's Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in the attacks near Bamako, according to his family and French media.

For years, Mali has been plagued by insurgencies by groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, and the FLA.

Fighting on Saturday had been reported in Kati, a major military base outside the capital, in Gao and Kidal in the north, and the central cities of Sevare and Mopti.

Reports suggest the assault by the separatists was primarily focused on northern cities, while the jihadist group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) had staged simultaneous attacks on multiple locations across the country.

Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Mali, told the BBC the incident appeared to be the "largest co-ordinated jihadist attack on Mali for years".

FLA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane said Kidal had "not fallen completely" during those attacks, at the time, telling the BBC they remained in the city because "elements of the Malian army and Russian mercenaries" were still present.

On Sunday, clashes between the FLA and the Malian government resumed in Kidal.

Shortly after these reports, Ramdane said: "An agreement was reached between the Azawad forces and the Russian elements of the Africa Corps with a view to ensuring their secure withdrawal from the fighting."

His morning social media post was followed by an update from the FLA, stating that the group was escorting the Russian mercenaries out of the city.

The group also claims to have taken control of the city, which served as an unofficial headquarters of the separatist movement for more than a decade before it was captured by Mali's army with the help of Russian mercenaries in late 2023.

An FLA field commander involved in the assault on Kidal told the BBC on Saturday the group had been preparing for the offensive "for months", adding: "Our main goal now is to control Gao and then Timbuktu will be easy to fall."

State broadcaster ORTM reported that 16 people, including civilians and soldiers, were injured in the attacks, which it said caused "limited damage".

It also said several "terrorists" had been killed, adding that the situation is "completely under control" in all affected areas.

Meanwhile, Mali's defence minister was reportedly killed in a car bomb in Kati on Saturday.

Quoting his family and French media, news agencies said the attack - launched by militants affiliated with al-Qaeda - also killed at least three of Camara's family members.

Mali's government has not confirmed the minister's death.

However, its military confirmed fighting was continuing in Kidal, as well as Kati and other parts of the country.

In a statement on Sunday, it said the violence would "not go unanswered".

It added that a nationwide alert had been issued, with large-scale patrols stepped up and checkpoints reinforced to tighten security.

Curfews have been imposed in some areas. In Bamako, there is a curfew from 21:00 to 06:00 local time (GMT), expected to end on Monday.

Following Saturday's widespread orchestrated attacks, UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned the "acts of violence" as he expressed his "solidarity with the Malian people". West Africa's regional bloc, Ecowas, similarly condemned the attacks.

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso left Ecowas after military coups brought their armies to power.

Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chair of the African Union Commission, said he was following the situation with "deep concern".

The FLA has for years been fighting for the creation of its own Tuareg homeland in northern Mali, a large swathe of which it has effective control over.