MALI MORE THAN 70 DEAD IN TWO JIHADIST ATTACKS AGAINST SECURITY FORCES | |
 The jihadist attacks carried out on Tuesday against a gendarmerie school and the military airport in Bamako, the capital of Mali, caused a dramatic toll of more than 70 dead and 200 injured, marking one of the deadliest attacks in recent years against Malian security forces. The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), affiliated with Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack.According to a security source, the losses amounted to 77 dead and 255 injured. A confidential official document, recognized as authentic, indicates a hundred deaths, specifically mentioning 81 victims. The newspaper **Le Soir de Bamako** announced on its front page that the funerals of around fifty gendarme students will take place this Thursday. The Malian authorities, dominated by the military junta, have not yet communicated clearly and precisely on the human scale of this tragedy, despite its exceptional nature, thus contradicting their speeches of military success. This attack seriously undermines the junta's claims about the effectiveness of its security strategy. Failure of the Alliance of Sahel States Tuesday's attacks come the day after the first anniversary of the Alliance of Sahel States, a coalition formed by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, three countries led by the military following successive coups since 2020, having broken with the former French colonial power. These attacks, among the most violent ever recorded in the capital, deal a severe blow to the legitimacy of the transitional authorities, who had placed the "rise in power of the army" and the "reconquest of the territory" at the heart of their priorities. The JNIM strike represents a major setback for these authorities, who were quick to highlight the army's successes against the terrorist threat. Two days before the attack, the transitional president welcomed the progress made in defense and security, particularly within the framework of the AES. However, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in the Sahel: attacks on civilians caused more than 3,000 deaths during the first six months of 2024, compared to 2,500 over the same period in 2023, according to the NGO Acled. Heart of the targeted military system Beyond the heavy human toll, the double attack by JNIM is also symbolically striking, targeting key military infrastructure. As Mohamed Amara, an expert in security and sociology, analyses, "by striking the gendarmerie school and the 101 air base adjacent to the airport, the terrorists have struck the heart of the military system in Bamako". According to him, an attack of this magnitude, thus exposing the vulnerabilities of the Malian security system, is unprecedented. In addition, observers highlight the symbolic significance of the date chosen by the attackers: the attack took place on the anniversary of the national gendarmerie, and just after that of the creation of the Alliance of Sahel States. According to expert Wassim Nasr, this synchronization aims to morally weaken the Malian armed forces. War on several fronts For Niagalé Bagayoko, president of the African Security Sector Network research center, "the complexity of the current situation lies in the fact that several fronts are open in Mali". The Malian army is fighting not only jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, but also armed groups from the North with autonomy claims, often also described as "terrorists" by the authorities. These groups, mainly composed of Tuaregs, had been pushed back from their stronghold in Kidal by the Malian army and their Russian allies of Wagner, almost a year ago. However, last July, they inflicted a severe defeat on the Malian forces and Wagner in a strategic battle in Tinzaouatène, near the Algerian border. The military seized power in Mali in two coups in 2020 and 2021, denouncing the inability of civilian authorities to restore security in the country. They obtained the departure of the French army and the UN force, engaged in the fight against armed Islamist groups, but failed to re-establish security... |
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| Jenny Chase for DayNewsWorld | |
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