Mali’s military says it has broken the Anéfis blockade, reopening the road to a key army camp in the country’s restive north.
The announcement came on Friday, after days of fierce fighting between government troops, Russian Africa Corps fighters and rebel forces loosely allied with jihadist groups. News of the Anéfis blockade being lifted comes as Mali’s military government battles a renewed rebel offensive across the north.
The Anéfis blockade began last week when separatists from the Azawad Liberation Front, known as FLA, encircled the military camp in the northern town. FLA fighters also struck nearby Gao, the Associated Press reported.
A first Malian convoy sent to relieve the camp was ambushed last Sunday, the FLA said. Images shared online by the rebels showed a downed helicopter and burnt military vehicles, though Mali’s army has not confirmed the losses.
Mali’s military said in a statement that its forces destroyed 12 combat vehicles and killed nearly 100 fighters in the 24 hours before the Anéfis blockade was lifted, according to the wire report carried by the Washington Times.
A Malian military source told the news agency AFP that government troops and their Africa Corps partners forced their way through rebel positions to reinforce soldiers trapped inside the camp, according to a report by En.ImArabic.
FLA spokesperson Mohamed El Mouloud Ramadan said separatist fighters pulled back from Anéfis for strategic reasons and to spare civilians, the same report noted.
Reinforcements arrived on Thursday evening, giving Malian and Russian units the numbers they needed to reach the besieged camp and lift the Anéfis blockade a day later, En.ImArabic reported.
Breaking the Anéfis blockade matters beyond the immediate camp. The town sits roughly 100 kilometres from Kidal, the northern city that fell to FLA and al-Qaeda-linked JNIM fighters during a coordinated offensive in April, security researchers at the Critical Threats Project have documented.
That April offensive marked the heaviest rebel push in Mali in over a decade. FLA and JNIM fighters struck multiple towns simultaneously, including Bourem, Sévaré and the capital Bamako, and killed Mali’s defence minister, General Sadio Camara, in a bombing at his home, the Critical Threats Africa File analysis found.
Kidal’s capture forced Russian Africa Corps units, formerly known as Wagner, to withdraw from several northern positions after Malian and allied forces found themselves stretched across too many fronts, the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism reported.
Analysts at the Soufan Center note that despite those setbacks, Moscow is unlikely to abandon Mali’s military government, since the partnership protects Russian influence in the Sahel at a relatively low cost.
The renewed fighting around Anéfis fits a wider pattern. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger formed the Alliance of Sahel States in 2023 after the three military governments expelled French and United Nations forces, turning instead to Russia for security support, the Bloomsbury Intelligence and Security Institute explained.
Whether breaking the Anéfis blockade translates into a lasting battlefield gain remains uncertain. FLA and JNIM have shown they can coordinate strikes across northern, central and southern Mali at once, stretching government forces thin, the Stimson Center’s assessment of the conflict noted.
For now, Mali’s military government is presenting the Anéfis operation as proof that its forces, backed by Russian partners, can still hold ground in the north. Independent verification of casualty figures from either side remains difficult, given restricted access to the conflict zone.
The fighting around Anéfis is likely to shape how far FLA and JNIM can push toward other northern towns in the weeks ahead, particularly as both groups continue to demonstrate an ability to strike far beyond their traditional strongholds.
Regional watchers say the outcome of the Anéfis blockade will also test whether Mali’s military government can hold northern territory without permanent Russian reinforcement, a question with implications for Burkina Faso and Niger, its partners in the Alliance of Sahel States. Neither Mali’s government nor FLA has confirmed a full casualty count from the latest clashes, and journalists continue to face restricted access to the northern conflict zone.
