Mali teeters as JNIM/FLA seize Kidal and Goita takes defence post
Nearly a week after coordinated attacks by JNIM and the Azawad Liberation Front, Mali’s military government is restructuring and reinforcing security, with Assimi Goita appointed defence minister while remaining president; JNIM and FLA have seized Kidal and threaten Gao, Timbuktu and Menaka, as fighting leaves at least 23 dead and civilians wounded or abducted. About 130 Malian soldiers are reportedly captured in Kidal, and hunger fears rise in besieged areas as humanitarian concerns grow, with UN OHCHR warning of possible abuses and urging protection of civilians under international law while Russia-backed forces regroup.
