Malian Forces Retake Border Town After ISIS-linked Attack Near Niger

By Al Mayadeen English

30 Apr 2026 23:55

Malian forces regained control of a town near Niger after ISIS-linked militants withdrew following clashes, as the army intensifies patrols after coordinated weekend attacks.

Residents said Malian forces have regained control of a border town near Niger after militants linked to ISIS entered it earlier this week, as the army moves to reassert authority following coordinated attacks over the weekend.

Malian junta chief Assimi Goïta appeared publicly for the first time on Tuesday since rebels and an alliance of separatist groups launched their Saturday assault, which resulted in the killing of the defense minister.

Two residents of the town of Ménaka, near the Niger border, told Reuters that fighters from ISIS in the Sahel had withdrawn following clashes with the army, which has resumed ground and air patrols. A senior diplomatic source also confirmed that the military had retaken control of the area.

Malian forces intensify patrols

In the central Mopti region, which was also hit in the weekend attacks, calm returned as of Wednesday, although residents remained on high alert, according to a local resident. He said the army appeared to have increased checkpoints and stepped up both ground and air patrols around the city.

A resident of Gao, the largest city in northern Mali, reported increased military patrols as civilians prepared for possible further attacks. In the central town of Sevaré, tensions also remained high on Wednesday, with a witness saying gunfire was heard throughout the night.

Goïta, after disappearing from public view for several days, pledged to neutralize those responsible for the Saturday attacks, which saw open coordination between militants and the Azawad Liberation Front, who seized the strategic town of Kidal from Russian-backed Malian forces. He also met the Russian ambassador on Tuesday and visited a hospital where the wounded were being treated.

Mali militant attacks hit Bamako, northern cities

Armed militants launched coordinated attacks early Saturday on the capital Bamako and several locations in the country’s interior, in what appears to be a multi-front assault involving different groups, the Malian army has reported.

A Reuters eyewitness said two powerful explosions were heard, followed by sustained gunfire shortly before 6:00 AM GMT near the main Kati military base outside Bamako. Soldiers were deployed to block roads in the area as security forces responded to the incident.

Similar disturbances were also reported around the same time in the central city of Sévaré and in the northern cities of Kidal and Gao. “There is gunfire everywhere,” one witness in Sévaré told Reuters, describing widespread unrest.

Mohamed Lamine Ould Ramadan, a spokesperson for the rebel alliance known as the Azawad Liberation Front, claimed on social media that his forces had taken control of multiple positions in Kidal and Gao.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the claim. Four security sources also said the al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) was involved in Saturday’s attacks, although the group did not immediately claim responsibility.