Overview
- Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM fighters struck the Mopti region villages of Korikori and Gomossogou on Wednesday, killing at least 30 people according to AFP, with Reuters sources saying the toll could be around 50.
- JNIM claimed it targeted pro-government militias in what multiple outlets called the deadliest attacks since late-April raids by JNIM and Tuareg separatists that killed Defense Minister Sadio Camara.
- Mali’s army said the threat remains and reported neutralising several hundred fighters, while warning that insurgent checkpoints toward Kayes and Kita are disrupting travel to the west even as the Segou road stays open.
- Footage and field reports indicate about 130 Malian soldiers are being held by Tuareg separatists after Kidal fell, as Russia’s Africa Corps pulled back from northern posts and later ran evacuation and resupply flights including from Hombori.
- Nigeria’s defense minister urged a unified international response to stop the insurgency from spreading, and Washington is reviewing security for its Bamako embassy as partners gauge the junta’s stability and the risk of broader regional fallout.