Mali and Russian forces retake Kidal in northern security operation

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Mali, Russian forces retake Kidal

Highlights

Malian and Russian troops retook Kidal on Tuesday without direct fighting as the FLA withdrew amid intensified air strikes, marking a key political and military gain for Bamako.
The FLA denies strategic defeat and insists the conflict continues, refusing dialogue as air strikes reportedly impact civilians and nomads during the ongoing northern campaign.
Russian support for Mali has increased since the April offensive, with analysts expecting further pushes into FLA-held areas despite persistent threats from JNIM, which killed or captured over 200 Malian soldiers last month.

Kidal operation marks symbolic gain

As first reported by Financial Times, Russian and Malian soldiers have recaptured Kidal six months after withdrawing from the town under pressure from Tuareg secessionists and allied Islamist militants. Mali's defence ministry says Malian and Russian forces launched large-scale air and ground operations around the northern desert town on Tuesday.

The Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, says it carried out a strategic and controlled withdrawal from Kidal as air strikes intensified. Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the group, says Russian and Malian forces entered the town without direct fighting and that FLA fighters were able to leave with their equipment.

Kidal carries heavy political and military weight in Mali because it has served as the FLA's unofficial capital in the north. Its recapture is likely to be presented by the military regime in Bamako as an important success after an April offensive by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam al-Muslimin, or JNIM, and the FLA shook the authorities.

Security risks and wider conflict

The FLA rejects the idea that the withdrawal amounts to a strategic defeat. Ramadane says the war continues and adds that the group is not yet at a stage where discussions or dialogue can begin.

Mali has been dealing with a security crisis for more than a decade and turned to Moscow for military assistance after a coup five years ago. Russia also helped Mali retake Kidal in 2023, and analysts say the bigger challenge is not seizing the town but holding it amid persistent insurgent threats.

Justyna Gudzowska of monitoring organisation The Sentry says Russia has increased its commitment to Mali since the April offensive, including by sending additional equipment, and that Russian and Malian forces will probably push into other northern areas held by the FLA. Ramadane, meanwhile, says non-combatants are being caught up in the campaign and alleges that air strikes are hitting nomads' encampments, moving vehicles and transporters.

JNIM remains the most serious threat to Malian authorities. The group is reported to have killed or captured more than 200 Malian soldiers in Sevare and Dioura last month, although its focus is mainly elsewhere in Mali despite its role in the April capture of Kidal.

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