DAKAR: Armed groups hailing from northern Mali have asserted their capture of the pivotal town of Bourem, situated between Gao and Timbuktu, following intense clashes with the Malian army.
The Permanent Strategic Framework (CSP), a coalition comprising various armed factions that previously signed a peace agreement with the Malian state back in 2015, issued a statement announcing their operation in Bourem. According to the statement, they successfully seized “control of the camp and various advanced posts” previously held by the Malian army and the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.
CSP spokesman Mohamed El Maouloud Ramadane detailed the operation’s challenges, mentioning “intense fighting” that occurred before the town was secured.
As of the time of reporting, the Malian authorities have not provided an official response or comment regarding the situation.
Armed Groups in Mali
The alliance primarily comprises Tuareg armed groups that have been in conflict with the state since 2012 but opted for a peace agreement with the Malian government in 2015. This peace accord, known as the Algiers agreement, had been showing signs of strain in recent months as tensions continued to escalate.
In a significant development on Monday, one of the signatories to the Algiers agreement, the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), declared that it considered itself to be in a state of “war” with Mali’s ruling junta, which took control of the country in 2020.
The capture of Bourem represents a potentially destabilizing development in the ongoing conflict in northern Mali.
