Mali's military-led authorities say they are determined to fight armed groups despite reeling from a series of coordinated attacks by jihadists and separatists in the north of the country at the end of April. A member of the National Transitional Council, and leader of an armed political movement allied with Malian forces, tells RFI the army and junta have the full backing of the people.
Separatists from the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) along with the al-Qaeda-linked jihadist Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) launched the assaults on 25 and 26 April, dealing a serious blow to the junta and its leader, General Assimi Goïta.
The deadly offensive targeted strategic towns and killed the country's influential defence minister, Sadio Camara.
Since the attacks, the military has lost control of several areas in the north of the country, including the key city of Kidal – a symbolic stronghold long contested between the Malian state and Tuareg-led rebellions.
The jihadists have also been blockading strategic routes leading to the capital Bamako since 30 April.
Mali has been ruled by a junta since coups in 2020 and 2021 brought Colonel – now General – Assimi Goita to power. Promised elections have been repeatedly postponed, with the authorities arguing the security situation does not allow a return to civilian rule.
Since French troops were forced out of Mali in 2022, military authorities have turned increasingly towards Russia for security support. Russian personnel from the Africa Corps – which replaced much of the Wagner Group paramilitaries' presence in Mali – now operate alongside Malian forces.
RFI's David Baché spoke to Moussa Ag Acharatoumane, a member of the National Transitional Council, which serves as Mali's governing body, and who also leads the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) – a political-military group allied with the transitional authorities that is fighting alongside the Malian army and the Russian Africa Corps in the north.
Acharatoumane is also spokesperson for the CSP – a coalition of armed groups aligned with the authorities.
RFI: Since the attacks in April, opponents of the transitional government say the authorities have been weakened, while its supporters are calling for unity. Presumably you continue to stand by President Goïta?
Moussa Ag Acharatoumane: Of course, Assimi Goïta is still the president Mali needs. He continues to govern his country as normal.
I would still like to reiterate that despite the attacks of 25 April, Mali remains a standing state, a state that takes action, and the defence and security forces repelled the terrorist attacks, despite their complexity and particularly the number of intrnal and external accomplices. Today, we have a very cohesive army, the command structure is united, the soldiers in the field are in good spirits, and operations are continuing throughout the country.
RFI: Attacks by armed groups are continuing, Bamako is under a [partial] blockade, yet you say the regime remains strong?
MAA: The regime is strong. I would even go further: it's the Malian people themselves who are strong today. Malians love their army, Malians love their leaders and Malians love their country.
[Editor's note: The military authorities retain support among among nationalist supporters in urban areas, in particular. But opposition parties, civil society activists and some religious figures have criticised the junta and its repeated postponement of elections.]
Are Mali’s Tuareg-led FLA fighters terrorists or separatists?
RFI: What do you think of the alliance on the ground between the JNIM jihadists and the FLA separatists [since 2025]?
MAA: Everyone knows what al-Qaeda is. Our brothers who chose to ally themselves with al-Qaeda haven't learned the lessons of 2012 [when Tuareg separatists and jihadist factions initially joined forces against the Malian state]. Because in 2012 there was practically the same attempt, and the whole world witnessed what happened.
Some of our brothers – not all, because some unfortunately never distanced themselves from the al-Qaeda network – but others were major victims of that organisation, including some of their leaders whose families were decimated by al-Qaeda.
And it's the same al-Qaeda that's here today, the same al-Qaeda that was responsible for the assassination in Kidal of RFI journalists Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon.
[Editor's note: The murders of Dupont and Verlon in 2013 were claimed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI). One of the alleged masterminds, Seidane Ag Hitta, is now considered among the senior figures within JNIM.]
RFI: We remember that very well.
MA: This alliance is a very bad thing. I think our brothers need to realise the grotesque mistake they are making and turn back. They should do what the MSA and Gatia [two politico-military groups allied with the transitional regime] did. They allied themselves with the Malian army to fight international terrorism.
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RFI: FLA leaders say this is only a military alliance against their common enemy – the Malian army and Africa Corps – and that there is no other shared political agenda.
MAA: When we see al-Qaeda's official international media outlet mentioning its alliance with the FLA, when we see [Jnim leader] Iyad Ag Ghali personally coordinating operations in Kidal alongside [an FLA leader] Alghabass Ag Intallah; when we see the parades organised in the streets of Kidal with black flags proclaiming their satanic agenda, I repeat: our brothers are making a mistake. They were victims of these people in 2012 and these same actors are continuing in 2026.
RFI: JNIM and the FLA now control Kidal and Tessalit. The Malian army and Russia's Africa Corps remain present in Aguelhoc and Anéfis. Should we expect a counter-offensive by national forces in the Kidal region?
MAA: The defence and security forces are undergoing major reorganisation and are indeed present in the Kidal region. They are determined. They will carry out operations across the national territory and will not cede an inch of it to a terrorist organisation.
RFI: General El Hadj Ag Gamou, appointed governor of Kidal by the transitional authorities in 2023, and someone you know well, is reportedly now in Gao. Is that true? Could he take part in a counter-offensive in Kidal?
MAA: General El Hadj Ag Gamou is doing very well, I want to reassure everyone of that. He is in high spirits, grounded, and confident. He is governor of the Kidal region. Offensive operations, army reorganisation, redeployment – those are matters for the army. His role is to serve as governor of the region. He is doing very well and has no problems.
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RFI: In your region of Ménaka, the Malian army and Russia's Africa Corps repelled offensives at the end of April by Islamic State fighters – rivals of JNIM. What's the situation in the city since then?
MAA: Today, the situation is under control. The administration has resumed work, normal life has returned, and the defence and security forces and their partners control the city and carry out regular patrols. Having said that, the threat is still there. We mustn't delude ourselves; we are at war with one of the most dangerous terrorist organisations in the world, so we remain vigilant. But for the moment, the situation in Ménaka is relatively calm.
[Editor's note: Human rights organisations and UN experts have accused all sides in Mali’s conflict – including jihadist groups, separatist rebels, Malian forces and Russian paramilitary personnel – of abuses against civilians during the war.]
RFI: Dialogue and negotiations with JNIM and the FLA are currently being advocated by opponents of the current regime, notably the Coalition of Forces for the Republic (CFR) linked to Imam Mahmoud Dicko. But for the past decade, dialogue has also been recommended by all the national consultations, including inter-Malian talks organised during the transition itself. The current authorities categorically refuse to do so. Do you support this or not?
MAA: In fact, there's no point in negotiating with people who are plotting to destroy our country. The Malian state protects its people and its territorial integrity, and there's absolutely nothing to negotiate with these people as things stand, unless they reconsider their views and plans. They are Malians. If they come to their sense, I think there's room for everyone, but not under these conditions.
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This interview was adapted from the original in French and has been edited for clarity.
