Recent attacks in Central Sahel reflect a worrying evolution of the terror threat in West Africa. The situation demands more from the region’s states and partners than declarations of solidarity with those affected. Active security cooperation is urgently needed with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – the three countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
On 25 April, the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) launched a series of coordinated attacks on several cities in northern, central and southern Mali. This was the most ambitious operation by the armed groups since the outbreak of the Malian security crisis in 2012. It led to Defence Minister Sadio Camara’s death and enabled insurgents to seize the towns of Kidal and Tessalit in the north.
On 4 July, the FLA-JNIM coalition replicated the synchronised offensive against six localities across the country. Although the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) contained most of the attacks, the insurgents seized part of Anéfis in the north, forcing FAMa and its Russian partner, Africa Corps, to entrench themselves in their military base. After six days of intense fighting, FAMa and Africa Corps suppressed the offensive and retook Anéfis.
