The Malian army announced its intention to move towards the strongholds of the Tuareg rebels, in the far north of the country, a week after taking control of the city of Kidal, with the support of Russian forces, which is the most important city in northern Mali and the historical capital of the Tuareg rebels.
This was stated by the Chief of Staff of the General Staff of the Armed Forces in Mali, Lieutenant General Jean Elisé Daou, during a visit to the city of Kidal, which ended on Monday, when he said that the army “will not stop at Kidal,” describing regaining control of it from the hands of the rebels as “just a stage,” stressing that operations will continue in other sectors where armed groups remain.
Dao inspected the military units that participated in regaining control of the city of Kidal, as part of the “Dogocoloco” military operation, conveying to them the congratulations of the transitional authorities, and thanking his country’s partners, especially the Russian “African Corps.”
According to military sources who spoke to local newspapers, the next phase of the military operation may target the cities of Tsilit and Tinzouatin near the Algerian border, two areas that were subjected to air strikes, and any ground movement towards them means a decisive confrontation that brings to mind what happened in 2024, when the Malian army and the Russian “Wagner” group suffered a heavy loss near Tinzouatin.
On October 7, the Malian army announced the launch of air and ground operations in Talhandak, north of Kidal, and the Tsalit region, which resulted in the control of the city of Kidal, after the rebels withdrew from it without a fight.
Lieutenant General Dao explained that preparation for the attack began long before its launch, recalling the army’s withdrawal from Kidal on April 26, 2026, following a violent attack launched by the rebels at the time. The Army Chief of Staff confirmed that the army, since its withdrawal from Kidal 6 months ago, had not given up on the idea of returning.
He said that the forces first sought to weaken the groups by striking their logistical capabilities and weapons, then advanced towards Anives and then Kidal, noting that the groups “preferred to withdraw rather than confront,” while air means pursued some of their elements. He accused the groups that occupied the city of sexual violence, looting, and murder, and attributed to them the presence of “foreign fighters” who participated in violations, which he described as war crimes.
For his part, the spokesman for the Front for the Liberation of Azawad, Mohamed Mouloud Ramadane, responded to the statements of the Malian army commander by saying: “This criminal explicitly confirms what we have been saying from the beginning: infrastructure has been destroyed indiscriminately, and civilians are being deliberately targeted,” in reference to the army commander’s statements that they worked to make “Kidal a city unfit for the enemy to settle in.”
The rebel spokesman said that the Front's forces "have never spent a single night in Kidal," and that defending a city "does not mean keeping forces there permanently," stressing that Kidal "has become an unbearable city for its civilian population."
On October 6, the Front announced a “strategic and controlled withdrawal,” and said it took place without ground fighting, due to air strikes carried out by the army and the “African Corps” forces. It had previously accused the army of bombing “displaced families on the Algerian border and nomadic camps.”
The Front and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims took control of Kidal in the attacks last April, in which the former Malian Defense Minister, General Sadio Camra, was killed, leaving the city of Kidal in the control of the Front for about 5 months.
The army and the African Corps entered Kidal on October 7, after air and ground operations that began three days earlier, in a new phase of the war in which the city of Kidal remained the centerpiece, as it was always oscillating between the rebels and the authorities, while its residents were forced to flee every time.
Beverly Ochieng from Control Risks told Reuters that the restoration of Kidal is symbolic and not “decisive” in the campaign against terrorist and separatist groups, although it raises army morale and gives the Russian “African Corps” an opportunity to regain its role after losing positions since last April. As for Tinzouatin, which is nominated to be the next target, it was the arena of a battle in 2024 in which the Front for the Liberation of Azawad (the rebels) and the “Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims” (Al-Qaeda) were victorious over the army supported at the time by “Wagner,” which lost dozens of its fighters.
On Sunday, Chad summoned the ambassador of the Central African Republic to lodge an official protest against what it described as a military incursion carried out by the Central African army (Saturday) in the town of Abnabak in the Tissi region, near the tri-border with Sudan.
The Chadian government said that the incident left several people seriously injured, including soldiers and civilians, without announcing a toll in numbers. Chadian Foreign Minister Ahmed Kogari informed the ambassador that the actions were “serious” and could not be considered isolated incidents, recalling that the country had recorded several incursions into the border region since 2021, and that their repetition was “unacceptable” and “will not pass without consequences.”
The minister asked Bangui to provide accurate explanations and urgent clarifications, and also asked the ambassador to convey the official protest and “severe warning” to his government, stressing his country’s adherence to its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the security of its citizens.
In another story, Agence France-Presse quoted a Chadian military source as saying that Russian forces bombed a site for rebels from the Central African Republic after they entered Chadian territory, leaving several people wounded. This accusation was not mentioned in the government statement.
On the other hand, the Central African Army announced (Saturday) that it had carried out, with the support of its Russian allies, “preventive actions” against “foreign mercenaries” whose identity it did not specify. The Ministry of Defense said that air strikes and ground operations targeted armed groups in the tri-border area of Vakaga Prefecture to thwart an imminent attack on army positions. The Ministry confirmed that all the attackers were “neutralized,” without providing a human toll and no indication of entering Chadian territory. There was also no response from the Central African Republic government to the Chadian protest, as of Monday afternoon.
The Russian “Sputnik”, citing the “Officers’ Community for International Security”, stated that the operation was carried out in cooperation with “Russian military specialists.” In the Central African Republic, there are elements of the “African Corps”, which reports directly to the Russian Ministry of Defense, and has replaced the special “Wagner” group.
According to Sputnik, the operation took place in the Nabgai-Tisi region, targeting about 200 fighters, and resulted in more than 60 dead and wounded. The groups were planning an attack in the second half of October under the supervision of “Westerners,” and that Bangui informed N’Djamena of the presence of fighters on its territory.
It does not appear to have been the first incident in these confines; In May 2021, N'Djamena accused the Central African Army of attacking the Soro police station inside its territory, killing a soldier, kidnapping five and executing them, while Bangui proposed a joint investigation committee. In November 2022, Bangui accused a neighboring country of bombing its Russian forces and allies.
Armed groups are active in the northeast of Central Africa, and the region is affected by the Sudan war. The town of Umm Dafuk in Central Africa witnessed an attack on June 30, which the army said killed about twenty people, while local sources spoke of 28 dead.
This border region between the Central African Republic, Chad, and Sudan, especially around Tissi, Umm Dafuk, and Birao, is considered one of the most security-fragile areas in Central Africa, and is characterized by porous borders, weak government control, in addition to the activity of multiple armed groups, and direct effects from the ongoing war in Sudan since April 2023.
