In early November, the FAMA (Malian Armed Forces) launched an offensive to regain control of the Kidal camp, which had been attacked by rebels following the "hasty" withdrawal of MINUSMA without its handover to Bamako.

In Mali, the transitional authorities announced on Tuesday, November 14, that they have taken control of Kidal, a strategic city in the north contested by the Army and armed rebel groups united within the CSP-PSD.

"Today, our security forces have taken Kidal," said the transitional president, Colonel Assimi Goïta (pictured), in a message broadcasted by the national television (ORTM). The Malian presidency indicated that this is a "significant victory that marks a historical turning point in the fight against terrorism in Mali."

Message du Président de la Transition à la suite de la reprise de Kidal: « Aujourd’hui, nos Forces armées de sécurité se sont emparés de Kidal »https://t.co/n4eJCewyBG pic.twitter.com/ckUC5s4Vk4

— Presidence Mali (@PresidenceMali) November 14, 2023

The recapture of Kidal is part of an offensive launched a week ago by the Malian military authorities, with the goal, they stated, of "restoring territorial integrity and eradicating terrorist armed groups." This comes in the context of an open conflict between the Malian Armed Forces (FaMa) and armed rebel groups with a Tuareg majority, engaging in intense combat over the past two months following the withdrawal of MINUSMA from its various camps.

On November 2, Bamako deplored the loss of the Kidal camp, a flagship city in the north, which was immediately stormed by separatists after MINUSMA completed its withdrawal from the area. The central government, which had been criticizing the "hasty" departure of the UN force from the camps without handing them over, as originally planned, had held the UN mission responsible for terrorist attacks in the "abandoned" areas.

The Mali presidency stated on Tuesday that the fighting continues in Kidal, and the mission of the Malian army is not yet completed.