The Tuareg separatist group Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) has claimed responsibility this Tuesday for several drone attacks directed against positions of the Malian Army and the Africa Corps --former Wagner Group, currently under the orbit of the Russian Ministry of Defense-- in the north of the African country.
"The Army of Azawad has carried out drone attacks against positions of the Africa Corps and the Malian Army in Goundam," the group said in a brief statement on social media, with no official reaction or details yet on possible casualties among Malian troops and their allies.
In recent months, the FLA has participated in various coordinated offensives against government forces alongside the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM), a branch of Al Qaeda in the Sahel, while the military junta insists it maintains control of the situation thanks to ongoing operations by its own troops and the Russian forces deployed in the country.
Mali is currently governed by a military junta established after the coups d'état of August 2020 and May 2021, both led by Assimi Goita, now transitional president. Since then, the authorities in Bamako have strengthened ties with Russia and distanced themselves from their traditional Western partners, including France, the former colonial power.