Rebels claim to capture military camp in northern Mali town of Tessalit

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Separatist rebels in Mali said Friday that they captured a strategic military camp in the northern town of Tessalit after the nation’s army and their Russian allies withdrew.

The claim by the Azawad Liberation Front separatist group was the latest setback for Mali’s ruling junta, which lost control of the major city of Kidal earlier in the week, as separatists launch their biggest round of attacks in over a decade.

Local reports said the Malian army and members of Russia’s Africa Corp pulled out of Tessalit starting Thursday.

The Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, has been fighting in collaboration with the al-Qaeda-backed Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, JNIM.

Achafghi Ag Bouhanda, a top FLA commander, announced the capture of the Tessalit camp in a video posted online. The camp is strategically located near an airport and the border with Algeria.

The Associated Press could not independently confirm the situation at the camp, which is located in an area with poor internet access. Malian authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.