Mali’s army announced on Monday that it had captured Ahmad Ag Ditta, a prominent leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS), during a military operation on Sunday in the Menaka region.
The operation, conducted in Tagadeyate, also resulted in the deaths of several EIGS fighters and the recovery of military equipment, including numerous improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The army accused Ahmad Ag Ditta of being responsible for numerous attacks on Mali’s armed forces and severe abuses against civilians.
Mali, grappling with a deep political, economic, and security crisis since 2012, has faced persistent threats from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
The military junta, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, has shifted its security strategy by severing alliances with France and European forces in favor of closer ties with Russia.
The operation comes amid rising tensions following the departure of the UN peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA, last December.
Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch accused Mali’s army, the Russian mercenary group Wagner, and Islamist factions of committing atrocities since the peacekeepers’ withdrawal.
