A Group Associated With Al-Qaeda Takes Over a Malian Army Base in Boulikessi and Targets Timbuktu in Continuing Sahelian Violence

A group with ties to al-Qaeda takes control of a Malian army base in Boulikessi, killing scores in the growing Sahelian security crisis.

The Malian town of Boulikessi was the scene of a horrific assault by Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-affiliated group that took possession of an army base and killed over 30 troops, according to Reuters reporting. The number of fatalities has not yet been formally verified by the Mali government.

On Sunday, the attack took place, and many people were killed. JNIM declared a second offensive on Monday that would target military personnel in Timbuktu, a historic city in the north.

Following the Boulikessi attack, Mali’s army issued a statement claiming that its troops “reacted vigorously” before executing what it called a tactical retreat. To honor its soldiers’ valor, the army declared, “Many men fought, some until their last breath, to defend the Malian nation.”

JNIM had “cleared the camp” and left behind many casualties, according to a local source cited by Reuters, underscoring the military’s increasing vulnerability in Mali.

The assaults are the most recent in a series of fatalities that have occurred in Mali and the larger Sahel, where Islamist rebels have gained momentum as a result of weakening governmental authority and political unrest. Over 400 soldiers have reportedly been killed by extremists in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger since the beginning of May, indicating a sharp decline in security in recent months.

The spike in violence occurs only days after the United States’ Africa Command (Africom) issued a warning about the rise in extremist activity in the area. The recent attacks in Nigeria, the Sahel, and the Lake Chad Basin are extremely concerning, according to Africom Commander Gen. Michael Langley, who made this statement at a press briefing on Friday. He cautioned that if militant organizations are given more access to the coast of West Africa, their ability to smuggle and traffic weapons might be greatly increased, which would worsen the instability in the region.

Mali continues to be at the center of this escalating crisis, having witnessed multiple coups and the withdrawal of UN and French forces. Pressure on regional and global players to react to a quickly disintegrating security environment is growing as Islamist organizations continue to spread their influence.