Mali: Junta Forces Retake Strategic Town of Kidal
[DW] Mali's military regained control of the strategic town of Kidal after forcing Tuareg separatists and al-Qaeda-linked jihadists to withdraw following an offensive backed by Russia's Africa Corps.
Mali's military has regained control of the strategic town of Kidal, marking a symbolic victory for the country's junta and its Russian allies. The army, backed by Russian paramilitary forces, forced Tuareg separatists and al-Qaeda-linked jihadists to withdraw from the town following an offensive. The Tuareg separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) announced a controlled withdrawal of its forces from Kidal without direct fighting, attributing the withdrawal to the disproportionate use of aerial assets by Russian mercenaries from the Africa Corps.
Analysts see the recapture of Kidal as primarily a symbolic win, affirming the junta's authority and boosting the military's morale, but not decisively changing the campaign against jihadist and separatist groups. Human rights groups have accused both the Malian army and Russian paramilitaries of civilian casualties and war crimes during military operations.
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