Malian soldiers stand during a patrol following the attack on Mali’s main military base Kati, outside the capital Bamako, in Kati, Mali, April 26, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
Malian troops have retaken a town near the Niger border from Islamic State-linked fighters, residents confirmed Wednesday, as the country’s military government sought to reassert control following a wave of coordinated attacks that rocked the country over the weekend.
Two residents in Menaka, situated close to the Niger frontier, said fighters from Islamic State in the Sahel Province had pulled back after clashing with government forces, which had since resumed both land and air patrols in the area. A senior diplomatic source corroborated the accounts, confirming the army had re-established its presence there.
The weekend offensive delivered a significant blow to Mali’s ruling military establishment — killing the defence minister and exposing vulnerabilities in the Russian mercenary forces that have been propping up the junta. The assault, which featured rare open coordination between al-Qaeda-linked insurgents and a coalition of mostly Tuareg separatist groups, also saw the seizure of Kidal, a strategically important northern town previously held by Russian-backed Malian troops.
Analysts warn the attacks risk setting off a broader scramble for territory across Mali’s vast desert north, and that the emboldened armed groups — which have demonstrated a growing willingness to strike across borders — could eventually direct their ambitions further afield.
Military chief Assimi Goita, who had been absent from public view for several days following the assault, resurfaced Tuesday and pledged to hunt down those responsible. He also met with the Russian ambassador and paid a visit to a hospital treating the wounded — gestures seen as efforts to project resolve amid the crisis.
Signs of stabilisation emerged in several affected areas by Wednesday. In the central Mopti region, which bore the brunt of some of the weekend strikes, calm had largely returned, though residents remained on edge. The army appeared to have reinforced checkpoints and intensified ground and air patrols around the city, a local resident noted.
In Gao, northern Mali’s largest city, civilians braced for potential further attacks as military patrols visibly increased. The mood remained tense in the central town of Sevare as well, where a witness reported hearing gunshots overnight and, the previous day, had seen bodies — civilians, soldiers, and insurgents alike — with the local hospital morgue filled beyond capacity.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah