Is Mali’s government in control of the north?
The army has taken back the military base in Kidal – overrun by the Tuareg rebel forces after UN troops left – but can it really hold the region?
Last week the Malian army seized the town of Kidal, in the country's north - weeks after the United Nations stabilisation mission, MINUSMA, withdrew from its base there.
For the past decade, Kidal has been a stronghold of the Tuareg rebel group - and so its capture was a symbolic success for Mali’s military leaders, who seized power in 2020. They have made the restoration of territorial sovereignty a key priority.
The military government has given UN forces until the end of the year to withdraw from the country - triggering a race to seize territory between the army, rebel groups and jihadists.
But while the army is now in control of the military base – the question of who’s in control of the region is far more complicated. In this episode of Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to the ±«Óãtv’s Beverly Ochieng and MINUSMA spokesperson, Fatoumata Kaba.
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Africa Daily
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