Malian army retakes key northern town of Anefis after week-long battle

Mali’s army has retaken control of the key northern town of Anefis after a nearly week-long battle against rebel fighters.

Anefis is about 100 kilometres from the strategic town of Kidal, which was captured by al Qaeda-linked militants and Tuareg separatists in April.

The same groups launched coordinated attacks on Anefis on Saturday, seizing the town but failing to take a military camp.

Malian soldiers backed by Russian Africa Corps mercenaries remained to defend the base.

Dozens of vehicles, backed by air support set out from the city of Gao to provide reinforcement. They arrived on Thursday evening despite rebel attacks along the way and retook the town.

"Malian troops and the Africa Corps partners broke through the obstacles and arrived in Anefis to reinforce our troops who were on the ground", a Mali military source said.

A spokesperson for the Tuareg separatists said the group had "decided to leave Anefis for strategic reasons and to avoid civilian casualties."

Mali has been grappling with a security crisis for more than a decade. The country’s junta leaders promised to restore calm when they took power in 2021 but have mostly failed to deliver.