APA – Bamako (Mali) – Government troops have finally entered the strategic rebel-held town of Kidal in the far northeast of the country on Tuesday, November 14, according to the Malian armed forces.
The reported recapture of the city is the culmination of the Malian army’s offensive, which began on November 11.
Since that day, intense fighting has pitted regular soldiers from the town of Anefis, 112 km south of Kidal, on their way to the capital of the Adrar des Ifoghas against rebels of the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP-PSD).
The army mobilised considerable resources to overcome the rebels’ defensive lines.
Warplanes pounded rebel positions, allowing ground troops to advance.
By Sunday, August 12, the fighting had moved closer to the town of Kidal, about twenty kilometers away.
But the Malian army continued to advance, thwarting ambushes and low-intensity skirmishes.
It also claimed to have destroyed a Minusma vehicle packed with explosives held by rebels the army has described as terrorists.
Access to Kidal was not possible until Tuesday, November 14.
The city is almost empty of its inhabitants, who have fled the region because of the fighting.
Responding to the situation on his X former Twitter account, junta leader, Colonel Assimi Goïta, said that it was “in application of UN Resolution 2690 (2023), today 14/11/23, thanks to Allah, because of the courage and determination of our FAMAs, a few days ago an attack was carried out in the direction of Kidal and heavy losses inflicted on the GAT.”
“Our armed and security forces have retaken Kidal” he said in an announcement.
However, Goita tempered this air of celebration with caution, saying “our mission is far from over”.
He said the objective now is “in restoring and ensuring the integrity of the territory, without any exclusivity, in accordance with the resolutions of the Security Council.”
Without any word on casualties, which according to sources is very high, Goïta paid tribute to “the civilian and military victims who fell on the field of honor and salutes the resilience of the Malian people.”
In addition to the city of Kidal, there are many other places in the region that are still beyond the control of government troops and may still serve as a haven for the rebels.
In the meantime many are questioning the future of the 2015 peace agreement, given that conditions for its implementation no longer exist.
MD/ac/lb/as/APA