Key facts
- More than 100 soldiers were killed in central Mali this month by jihadists, according to two sources.
- JNIM claimed responsibility for the September 10 attack in Dioura, stating it killed 150 soldiers.
- A security source reported 130 soldiers died in the Dioura attack, with over 100 taken hostage.
- A diplomatic source stated around 120 soldiers were killed in the Dioura attack.
- JNIM also claimed to have killed 33 pro-government forces in Sevare and Konna on Sunday.
- Russian paramilitary group Africa Corps supports the Malian army in combat.
Jihadists killed more than 100 soldiers in central Mali this month, two sources told Reuters, while the army said it had evacuated troops from an attacked camp and struck enemy positions during a retaliatory operation lasting more than a week. The September 10 attack in the town of Dioura and another on the airport in the town of Sevare were the latest by al Qaeda-linked Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) against Mali's military rulers who seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021.
A security source said 130 soldiers died in the September 10 attack in Dioura with more than 100 taken hostage. A diplomatic source said around 120 soldiers were killed. JNIM last week claimed the September 10 attack, saying it had killed 150 soldiers.
In a separate incident, JNIM on Sunday claimed it had struck air defence systems at the airport in Sevare, which houses military aircraft and drones. It claimed to have killed 33 pro-government forces in Sevare and in Konna, also in central Mali. The Russian paramilitary group Africa Corps supports the Malian army in combat in both places.
As of Monday, there had been six consecutive nights of shelling at Sevare airport, one local resident told Reuters. The resident reported seeing about 40 wounded Malian soldiers and Russian fighters at the hospital in Sevare. Russian troops were no longer visible in the town of Sevare on Monday, the resident added.