Northern Mali has entered a new phase after the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) launched a coordinated offensive on April 25, 2026. The joint operation spanned Kidal, Anefis, Tilemsi, Gao and Sevare, marking the most serious challenge to the Malian army in years and to Russia's Africa Corps, which replaced the Wagner Group in Mali.

Fighting in northern Mali has long pitted the Malian state against multiple armed groups. The 2015 Algiers Peace Agreement aimed to end the conflict through decentralisation, but its implementation stalled. After military coups in 2020, the Economic Community of West African States suspended Mali and imposed sanctions, while Russia deepened its presence with the Wagner Group in late 2021. The Wagner Group was later integrated into the state‑controlled Africa Corps.

Since the April 25 offensive, fighting has included simultaneous assaults, ambushes, drone strikes and attacks on military convoys. Both sides have reported battlefield gains, though casualty figures differ. Malian officials say they are working to restore state authority and dismantle a “terrorist alliance” between the FLA and JNIM. The FLA says it seeks independence for Azawad, while JNIM frames the war as a campaign to “liberate” Mali and overthrow a government it accuses of relying on Russian forces. Colonel Mohamed Issa, a senior FLA commander, said the partnership is a battlefield arrangement against a common enemy and rejected suggestions of an ideological alliance. He added that JNIM fighters operating alongside the FLA are primarily Azawadis defending their communities from Malian forces and Russian mercenaries. Suleiman, a senior JNIM commander, said the groups coordinated after internal consultations because their fighters share common origins and have aligned goals. He also said the FLA accepted Islamic legal arbitration by local scholars, a point the FLA itself did not raise.

Bamako disputes the casualty reports and maintains that its forces retain the initiative. The conflict has become more sophisticated, with attacks occurring over large distances and lasting several days. Drones have taken on a larger role, serving both as reconnaissance platforms and as strike weapons against vehicles and positions. Malian forces, backed by the Africa Corps, continue to rely on air power, but neither side has secured a decisive advantage.

Funding and weapons sustain both groups. JNIM sources describe financing from regional commercial networks, zakat collections and proceeds from earlier kidnapping operations. The FLA says it relies on donations from tribal leaders, traders and community associations. Both groups acknowledge participation in cross‑Sahara trafficking, though the extent to which these activities finance the war is unclear. Weapons have flowed across the Sahel since Libya’s collapse in 2011, and captured Malian equipment now forms a growing part of both arsenals.

Whether the alliance will endure remains uncertain. The partnership rests on shared battlefield interests rather than a common political vision, making its longevity unclear. Without a resolution of the competing ambitions—territorial unity, separatist independence and regime change—a negotiated settlement appears unlikely. The new military reality in northern Mali could affect security across the Sahel.

Three months into the offensive, northern Mali remains locked in a conflict with no clear end in sight.