At least 15 people, including children, were killed on Sunday in drone strikes on the town of Tinzaouaten in northern Mali, according to Tuareg rebel forces.
The town, near the Algerian border, had previously been the site of intense fighting where the Malian army and Russian Wagner mercenaries suffered significant losses in July.
Following those clashes, the Malian military launched air strikes targeting insurgent positions in and around Tinzaouaten. However, on Sunday, the town came under attack again, this time by drones, which struck a civilian home, a pharmacy, and other areas, according to Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the rebel coalition known as the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security, and Development (CSP).
The death toll stands at around 15, with children among the victims, and is expected to rise. The Malian army has not commented on the incident.
The late July battle near Tinzaouaten may have marked one of Wagner’s heaviest losses since the group began supporting Mali’s junta against insurgent forces two years ago.
Tuareg rebels claimed to have killed at least 84 Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers, while an al-Qaeda affiliate reported killing 50 Wagner fighters and 10 Malian troops. Neither Mali nor Wagner have confirmed their casualties, though Wagner admitted to sustaining heavy losses.
Northern Mali has long been a hotspot of conflict, with both Tuareg separatists and jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State operating in the region.
The country’s struggle with jihadist insurgency dates back to 2012, when Islamist factions took over a Tuareg rebellion.
Frustration with the government’s inability to restore security has fueled coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger since 2020. These juntas have since severed ties with Western and regional allies, opting instead to align with Russia.
Meanwhile, the Tuareg separatists, who signed a peace deal with the Malian government in 2015, withdrew from negotiations in 2022, further complicating the region’s fragile peace.
