Al-Qaeda-Linked Fighters Seize the Malian Town of Anéfis, Trapping Soldiers and Russian Mercenaries

Al-Qaeda-linked militants and Tuareg separatists have seized the northern Malian town of Anéfis and laid siege to its military camp, part of a wave of coordinated attacks that struck at least seven towns across the West African country and exposed the fragility of Mali's military-led government. Malian soldiers and fighters from Russia's Africa Corps paramilitary force were reported trapped inside the camp, with a regional official saying "many" troops had been taken prisoner.

The assaults, launched on July 4, hit the northern localities of Aguelhok, Anéfis and Gao as well as the central towns of Sévaré, Kenieroba, Konna and Somadougou. Two armed movements claimed responsibility: Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, the al-Qaeda affiliate led by veteran commander Iyad Ag Ghali, and the Azawad Liberation Front, a Tuareg separatist coalition formed in 2024 and led by Alghabass Ag Intalla. JNIM said in a statement that it had attacked and taken control of at least seven positions held by the army or pro-government fighters.

Mali's army insisted it had repelled the offensive, reporting that it killed 20 "terrorists" in Sévaré and six in Gao, where one pro-government fighter was killed and four wounded. But accounts from the ground contradicted the official version, with a regional elected official saying rebels now control Anéfis and that Russian forces were "entrenched" in the camp there under siege.

The fighting underscored the deepening role of Russia's Africa Corps, the rebranded successor to the Wagner Group, which Mali's junta invited in after expelling French and United Nations forces in recent years. Russian-backed fighters reportedly helped push back attacks in Konna and Somadougou, and videos circulating online purported to show Russian involvement in drone strikes at Anéfis and Aguelhok. Analysts remain skeptical that the foreign muscle is turning the tide.

"This has not improved overall security," said Alex Vines of Chatham House, summarizing the view of many regional experts who argue that the juntas across the Sahel have swapped Western partners for Russian ones without stemming a jihadist expansion that has spread from Mali into Burkina Faso, Niger and toward the coastal states of West Africa. The coordinated nature of the July 4 attacks — hitting north and center simultaneously — suggests the insurgents can still choose the time and place of battle, even as the government insists it holds the upper hand.