Islamic State-linked insurgents retreat from Menaka as Malian forces reassert control
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Apr 29
Islamic State-linked insurgents retreat from Menaka as Malian forces reassert control
10 articles · Updated · Reuters · Apr 29
Residents and a senior diplomatic source said the army regained the Niger border town on Wednesday, while patrols and checkpoints increased in Menaka, Mopti and Gao.
Civilians remained on alert after coordinated weekend attacks by al Qaeda-linked fighters and mostly Tuareg separatists, with tensions still high in Sevare where shots were heard overnight.
The assault killed Mali's defence minister, dealt a blow to Russian mercenaries backing the army and raised fears of a wider scramble for territory across the desert north.
As rebels threaten a siege after capturing the north, is Mali's capital, Bamako, the next to fall?
After its mercenaries fled Kidal, can Russia's security model in Africa survive this humiliating defeat?
With separatists and jihadists now allied, is the complete collapse of the Malian state finally at hand?