Mali: Army Withdraws from Key Military Base After Deadly Jihadist Attacks

Edited by: Widad WAHBI

The Malian army has officially withdrawn from one of its main military camps in the central region, following two deadly attacks in less than a week, attributed to jihadist militants. The violence marks a new escalation in the deteriorating security situation in the central Sahel, according to military sources and local officials.

The latest attack, which targeted the Boulkessi military base on Thursday, left multiple soldiers dead, according to a local elected official contacted by AFP. “The last Malian troops who were stationed at the camp have now abandoned it,” he said.

Just days earlier, on Sunday, at least 30 Malian soldiers were reportedly killed in a coordinated assault on the same base. That attack was claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), a coalition affiliated with al-Qaeda, active across Mali and neighboring countries.

Security sources have warned that the true death toll may be higher, citing the chaos surrounding the withdrawal and the difficulty in securing accurate information from the combat zone.

The withdrawal from Boulkessi—considered a strategic site in the fight against jihadist insurgents—underscores the mounting pressure faced by Malian forces, already stretched thin by years of sustained attacks from militant groups operating in central and northern Mali.

This latest development raises further concerns about the capacity of the national army to maintain territorial control, especially in rural and remote regions increasingly vulnerable to jihadist expansion.