Mali Investigates Soldiers Over Alleged Role in Coordinated Insurgent Attacks

Malian authorities have launched an investigation into members of the armed forces over suspected involvement in a series of coordinated insurgent attacks that recently rocked military and civilian targets across the country.

According to the Military Tribunal in Bamako, preliminary findings suggest that both active-duty and dismissed soldiers may have played roles in the planning and execution of the April 25 attacks, which targeted multiple army positions, including installations in Bamako and the nearby town of Kati.

The prosecutor’s office said “solid evidence” has emerged indicating possible collaboration between some military personnel and armed groups, raising serious concerns about internal security breaches within the armed forces.

The attacks, described as among the most coordinated in recent years, involved assaults on strategic military sites and high-level targets, including the residence of the Defence Minister. Authorities have since begun arrests, though the exact number of suspects remains undisclosed.

The investigation also comes amid heightened instability in Mali, where jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda, alongside Tuareg separatist movements, have intensified operations across the Sahel region.

Recent violence has seen insurgents carry out multi-city coordinated raids, temporarily overrunning military positions and escalating fears of deeper infiltration within state security structures.

Government officials say the probe is ongoing and have vowed accountability for any individuals found complicit, whether military or civilian.