Rebels seize key town of Anéfis as they tighten grip on northern Mali

An Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) soldier stands on the wreckage of an armoured military vehicle at the former Africa Corps barracks at Camp 2 in Kidal on May 11, 2026. Strategic towns, including Kidal in the desert north, and Kati, a garrison town near the capital Bamako, were targeted in the April 25 and 26 offensive. Kidal and other towns and villages in the north were captured and are now under the control of the FLA and the jihadists, who have since imposed a blockade on Bamako that continued to disrupt transport. (Photo by AFP) AFP - -

Tuareg separatists and al-Qaeda affiliates appear to have secured control of a key town in northern Mali following a coordinated offensive by the rebels over the weekend. The Malian army and Russian mercenaries have been holed up in the key camp of Anéfis after the rebels launched their offensive on Saturday.

Coordinated attacks in northern Mali over the weekend saw some of the heaviest fighting in months following an offensive by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA – a Tuareg separatist group) and Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM – al-Qaeda affiliates).