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The Phoenix military base in northern Mali was hit by mortar fire, according to France 24. Phoenix serves as the main hub for Operation Barkhane, which France has been running in the region since 2013. Later, the White House released a statement confirming that a French soldier, Brigadier Alexander Martin from the 54th Artillery Regiment in Hyeres, was killed in the attack on the camp. It was a mortar strike; they say "dozens" of shells were fired at the base. The White House noted that this loss "confirms France's determination to continue the fight against terrorism in the region, alongside its partners."
The Italian Department of Defense reported that none of the 20 Italian soldiers on duty at the base were injured. Lorenzo Guerina, the Italian Defense Minister, is monitoring the situation closely. More than 4,000 French forces are stationed in the Sahel region of West Africa as part of Operation Barkhane, with most of them located in Mali. France, which was the first to deploy troops to this West African nation nine years ago to combat Islamist militants, spends about $950 million annually on a mission that has cost the lives of 53 French soldiers so far.
France has begun scaling back its military presence in Mali, hoping to cut the contingent in half by the summer of 2023, and has asked its European Union allies for more support. They are now considering an even earlier withdrawal because the situation in the country is getting increasingly tense under the military junta that has ruled since the August 2020 coup. France is frustrated by the junta's refusal to hold planned elections to bring back civilian rule—a move that triggered sanctions from the ECOWAS bloc. Paris has also condemned reports that the government in Mali is engaging the Russian Wagner Group.
https://www.geopolitika.news/vijesti...ncuski-vojnik/
A whole range of rebel and Islamist groups are active in Mali. There are Tuareg rebels gathered under the MNLA; they aren't religious, just want an independent state for their ethnic group. They used to be allied with the Islamists, but they're fighting them now. The Islamists, who reportedly come largely from Algeria and other African countries, are split into several factions. Besides Ansar Dino, you have Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Movement for Unity and Jihad (MUJAO) operating in the region. The Islamic Movement for Azawad (Mia) also broke away from Ansar Dino.
The Italian Department of Defense reported that none of the 20 Italian soldiers on duty at the base were injured. Lorenzo Guerina, the Italian Defense Minister, is monitoring the situation closely. More than 4,000 French forces are stationed in the Sahel region of West Africa as part of Operation Barkhane, with most of them located in Mali. France, which was the first to deploy troops to this West African nation nine years ago to combat Islamist militants, spends about $950 million annually on a mission that has cost the lives of 53 French soldiers so far.
France has begun scaling back its military presence in Mali, hoping to cut the contingent in half by the summer of 2023, and has asked its European Union allies for more support. They are now considering an even earlier withdrawal because the situation in the country is getting increasingly tense under the military junta that has ruled since the August 2020 coup. France is frustrated by the junta's refusal to hold planned elections to bring back civilian rule—a move that triggered sanctions from the ECOWAS bloc. Paris has also condemned reports that the government in Mali is engaging the Russian Wagner Group.
https://www.geopolitika.news/vijesti...ncuski-vojnik/
A whole range of rebel and Islamist groups are active in Mali. There are Tuareg rebels gathered under the MNLA; they aren't religious, just want an independent state for their ethnic group. They used to be allied with the Islamists, but they're fighting them now. The Islamists, who reportedly come largely from Algeria and other African countries, are split into several factions. Besides Ansar Dino, you have Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Movement for Unity and Jihad (MUJAO) operating in the region. The Islamic Movement for Azawad (Mia) also broke away from Ansar Dino.