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Mali: French Military Captures Islamic State Group Leader in Mali
RFI, 15 June 2022
The French military on Wednesday said it had captured a top-ranking member of the Sahel affiliate of the Islamic State group. Read more »
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Mali: A Kidnapped Teacher, a Fed Up Farmer, and a Push for Dialogue
The New Humanitarian, 16 May 2022
'I knew the conflict would affect me again if I did nothing.' Read more »
French Military Captures Militant Group Leader in Mali
A French army spokesperson has confirmed that Oumeya Ould Albakaye, a senior figure of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS) was captured by the French Barkhane force between June 11 and 12, 2022.
An explosives expert, Albakaye was a regional chief in the group, commanding the areas of Gourma in Mali and Oudalan in neighbouring Burkina Faso. A security source told AFP that Albakaye was once been a potential successor to former IS-GS leader Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, who was gunned down by French forces in August 2021.
Relations between Mali and France deteriorated after the military junta seized power in Bamako in August 2020. The junta has resisted setting an early date to restore civilian rule, and instead tightened ties with Russia. Russian "military instructors" are viewed by France and its allies as mercenaries hired from the pro-Kremlin Wagner group.
InFocus
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Long-term uncertainty related to the length of the transition period in Mali has made it even more difficult to achieve progress on implementing the 2015 peace agreement. ... Read more »
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The fighting between Mali's army and its Tuareg allies against Islamist militant groups in Mali's northeast Menaka region has intensified in the past weeks. The fiercest ... Read more »
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Mali's military junta has announced that it will quit the West African G5 Sahel anti-jihadist force, after it was blocked from assuming the presidency of the regional group. ... Read more »
