Malian civilians and soldiers celebrate the liberation of Kidal, November 18, 2023. Photo: La Voix de Mopti.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Cities in Mali celebrated the liberation of the town of Kidal from separatist groups this week. On November 14, the Malian transitional government announced that the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA) recaptured the strategic northern town of Kidal, a stronghold of Tuareg-dominated separatist groups.
The take over of Kidal is a significant symbolic and strategic military success for the transitional government. The news was greeted by celebrations in the capital Bamako and the rest of the country. Terrorist groups had held Kidal for almost 10 years.
MALI RECAPTURES KIDAL!
Since 2014, Mali's northern town of Kidal has been in the hands of rebels. The occupation was brought to halt on Tuesday, when Mali's military rolled in after a nine-year absence. It comes days after UN peacekeepers abandoned their camp near the town due… pic.twitter.com/UFBXJuS6TX
— African Stream (@african_stream) November 15, 2023
Kidal is located in northeastern Mali, near the borders of Algeria and Niger. The town is the site of a base that the UN Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) left at the end of October 2023. For more than a decade, the city has been the epicenter of an uprising by Tuareg rebels seeking to establish an independent state.
The citizens of Kidal welcomed the Malian Armed Forces and came out into the streets celebrating and waving the national flag.
https://twitter.com/marcus_herve/status/1725257775243034696
According to Sputnik Africa, Niger and Burkina Faso contributed to this military victory. Niger purportedly lent a cargo plane and possibly a fighter plane, according to some reports, while Burkina Faso provided a drone, or at least ammunition for drone strikes. Both countries had also dispatched officers to the Malian Army command post in the city of Gao. Russian fighters with the Wagner PMC also provided support to the Malian Armed Forces in the battle.
The Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, in a statement, congratulated Mali on the event, saying “this important victory will undoubtedly contribute to the establishment of lasting peace and stability in the country.”
Colonel Major Abdramane Amadou, a member of Niger’s National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland, issued a statement, saying “this battered town had remained under the grip of terrorists and their sponsors, who are responsible for destabilising Mali and the Sahel as a whole,” adding that the victory represents a turning point in Mali’s “commitment to liberating the entire country.”
Captain Ibrahim Traore, the transitional president of Burkina Faso wrote on his twitter, “I pay tribute to the people and the fighting forces for their intrepidity which offers happy prospects for Mali and all the States of the Sahel. My admiration for the President of the Malian Transition, Colonel Assimi Goita, for his great vision, his determination, and his commitment to a free and sovereign Mali. This milestone victory reinforces our conviction that the fight for the liberation of our States is worth fighting and that we will emerge victorious.”
Je me réjouis de la libération, ce mardi, de la ville de Kidal par les Forces armées maliennes après d’intenses combats menés ces derniers jours.
Je rends un vibrant hommage au peuple frère et aux forces combattantes pour leur intrépidité qui offre des perspectives heureuses… pic.twitter.com/W2h2AHf7dm
— Capitaine Ibrahim TRAORÉ (@CapitaineIb226) November 14, 2023
Fousseynou Ouattara, vice-chairman of the Defense and Security Commission of Mali’s Transitional Council, thanked the “Russian people for their support, and especially Russian President Vladimir Putin… all of Mali really thanks them for their contribution. We also thank China, Türkiye, Iran, and other countries that have supported us.”
Mali 🇲🇱 Libération de KIDAL/ Célébration de joie : Grande mobilisation à Tombouctou. @AzizMaigaNMP pic.twitter.com/lXwQDc78it
— Aziz Maïga ne ment pas (@AzizMaigaNMP) November 15, 2023
On Thursday, November 16, FAMA announced on social media that it had uncovered a mass grave in Kidal. “On Thursday, November 16, 2023, while securing Kidal, the FAMA uncovered a mass grave. This reveals the atrocities committed by the lawless terrorists,” the post stated.
It is noteworthy that, although French troops were present in the territory of Mali for over a decade, ostensibly to assist in counter-terrorism activities, in reality the terrorist groups operating in the north of the country enjoyed the tacit support of France. In addition, the separatists used military equipment abandoned by UN peacekeeping units.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by Dalal al-Zainabi.
OT/DZ/SC/BLA
Dalal al-Zainabi
Dalal is a contributor and volunteer for Orinoco Tribune.
