Malian Army Strikes Armed Group Positions in Kidal and Mopti Regions

The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), supported by their partners, announced that they carried out airstrikes on August 24 and 25, 2026, against armed group gatherings in Abéïbara and northeast of Sévaré. The toll of these operations is still being assessed.

The Malian armed forces have intensified their aerial campaign against armed groups operating in the country’s northern and central belts, according to a statement released on Wednesday, August 26, by the General Staff of the Armed Forces. The operations, conducted under the banner of Operation Dougoukoloko, targeted multiple assembly points and materiel caches over two consecutive days.

Strikes in Abéïbara and Near Sévaré

Military officials reported that on Monday, August 24, precise intelligence allowed them to locate several gathering sites of terrorist armed groups in Abéïbara, a locality in the Kidal region. These positions were said to house significant quantities of war materiel and armed vehicles. The statement noted that the sites were “targeted and successfully engaged.”

The following day, Tuesday, August 25, operations shifted to central Mali, where another concentration of armed elements was detected approximately 34 kilometers northeast of Sévaré, in the Mopti region. After an assessment of the situation, the identified position was taken under fire.

Ongoing Surveillance and Assessment

The General Staff indicated that surveillance and reconnaissance missions are continuing in the affected areas to evaluate the impact of the strikes, compile a consolidated toll, and search for any residual threats. As of the latest update, the human and material toll remains pending, with military communication serving as the primary source of information on the outcomes of these operations.

Context of Persistent Attacks

These strikes occur against a backdrop of recurring assaults on military installations. One of the most recent incidents was the attack on August 9 against the camp of the 23rd Infantry Regiment in San, located in central Mali. The army reported that it had repelled the assault, which was claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM).

The latest operations underscore the military’s continued focus on disrupting armed group capabilities through intelligence-driven aerial strikes, even as ground-level security challenges persist across the region.