Tuaregs, JNIM Inflict Major Losses on Malian, Russian Forces

A three day battle near the Malian commune of Tinzaouten has left scores of Russian mercenaries and Malian military personnel dead or captured..The battle, initiated through an ambush launched by Tuareg rebels under the Permanent Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA) near the Algerian border, was forced to a halt as a sandstorm swept through the area..Fighting continued between July 25th and July 27th, with militants connected to the al-Qaeda linked Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimeen (JNIM) entering the battle on the 27th through an ambush launched against the Malian Army (FAMA) and Russian forces near the Tin-Gamira mountains..The CSP-DPA has announced the death of seven of their fighters, including a field commander, with another 12 injured. Losses amongst the Russian mercenaries are thought to be large, with some estimates pointing to around 80 casualties, although not confirmed. A video posted on X by the Tuaregs showed upwards of 32 lighter-skinned bodies, pointing to a high number of casualties. Furthermore, the Malian army, in a release of its provisional results of the attack, claimed just two soldiers had been killed. Russian sources however noted that "there was an embarrassment with FAMA, who opened fire on their own.".In addition, Russian fighters Nikita Fedyanin, callsigns "White" and "Five Hundred," was killed in the attack alongside Anton Yelizarov, callsign "Lotus." Yelizarov, a famed commander of PMC Wagner, coordinated attacks on the Ukrainian cities of Bakhmut and Soledar..The attack represents Russia's largest loss of personnel on the African continent since deployments began in 2017..What You Need to Know.Based upon information gathered from Tuareg, Russian, and Islamic militant sources, the timeline of the battle is as follows:.Beginning on July 20th, the FAMA, accompanied by Russian mercenaries had conducted a series of reconnaissance missions in the north of the country, mostly searching for Tuareg rebels who maintained strongholds in many of the country's border communes such as Inafarak and Tinzaouten..On July 23rd, the Malian army, alongside the Russian mercenaries captured Inafarak, in what appeared to be an easy win. From Inafarak, a convoy of an estimated 20 armoured vehicles began travelling to Boughessa, southwest of Inafarak. The convoy then hit an IED near Tamassahart valley..The IED disabled the 'Chekan' armoured personnel carrier, but the convoy pushed on to the commune of Tinzaouten..On July 25th, the convoy was ambushed by the Tuaregs 12 miles out of the commune. The Tuaregs forced the convoy into a low ground, posting snipers on the high ground. An estimated 10 FAMA and 5 Russian personnel were killed in the attack, with the sandstorm forcing both sides to regroup..According to a Russian source close to the mercenaries, "if the army column numbered at most seven dozen military personnel, the rebels concentrated a group of up to 900 people in Tin-Zautin (Tinzaouten), transferring reserves there.".On July 26th, as the sandstorm cleared, the Tuaregs initiated the battle once again, disabling a series of armoured vehicles, and hitting a government Mi-24 Hind helicopter gunship with anti-aircraft weapons, forcing the helicopter to make "an emergency landing in a large empty courtyard" near Kidal city, according to the Malian army..By July 27th, both the FAMA and Russian personnel began to retreat, some on foot, as they abandoned their armoured vehicles..It was at this time, according to Russian sources, that JNIM launched its own ambush on a FAMA/Russian convoy near the Tin-Gamira mountains. A statement released by JNIM claimed the "killing [of] 50 members of the Russian Wagner mercenaries and 10 other Malian soldiers.".In the aftermath of the JNIM ambush, the retreating forces were "pinned down" according to Russian sources, resulting in the "defeat and capture of the survivors.".The Details.Although images of the attack are plastered over social media, the Alliance of Sahel States—a confederation of the military juntas of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso—have noted in a statement not the loss of lives on the Malian end, but rather how the CSP-DPA and JNIM are "two sides of the same terrorist coin.".In response to the attack, an alleged member of the Ukrainian 13th brigade of NSU 'Chartiya' uploaded an image of an attack drone with 'Russia-No!' and 'Azavad!' written on the payload..Moreover, despite the increasing videos released of both dead and captured Malian soldiers, the Malian General Staff has not updated its casualty count..On the other hand, Russian sources have claimed that negotiations for the repatriation of the captured Wagner/Africa Corps fighters have already begun. These claims have not been independently verified..Additionally, the Tuareg press agency 'APMAzawad' has stated that, "The Azawad CSP-DPA Armed Forces would like to emphasize their commitment to human rights and respect for the Geneva Convention. Captured prisoners, including surrendered Wagner mercenaries, are treated with dignity and respect. The CSP-DPA guarantees their safety and well-being, in accordance with international standards. Detention conditions comply with humanitarian rules, ensuring fair treatment for all captives.".The statement follows images and videos posted on X of the captured personnel receiving milk, with one Russian mercenary supplied with new clothes and a cigarette..So, What Now?.Azawad, roughly translating to 'the land of transhumance,' in reference to the nomadic lifestyles of the Tuareg people, is an imagined state found in northern Mali, where the country's Tuaregs reside..The Tuareg people are a group of semi-nomadic herders found in northern Mali, the border regions of Niger, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Mauritania and Libya. They speak a Berber-based language, either Tamashek, Tamajaq, or Tamahaq depending on where they live. During the colonization period, the Tuareg people became fragmented by the borders drawn by the French, which impeded the Tuareg desire for an independent state..As a result and since independence in 1960, various armed Tuareg groups have fought against the Malian government in order to realize the creation of an independent state. Russia's Wagner group was recruited in December 2021 to aid the newly established military junta of Colonel Assimi Goita, who ousted President Bah N'daw in a May 2021 coup. Since then, Wagner (now known as the 'Africa Corps') and FAMA forces have conducted a brutal counter-insurgency campaign against the country's many armed groups, including Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM)—an umbrella group of Islamic militant organizations such as Ansar al-Din, al-Mourabitoun (MUJAO), Katiba Macina, and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)—the Islamic State in the Greater Sahel (ISGS), and the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), an umbrella group of Tuareg separatist movements..In early January, the Malian junta terminated a 2015 peace accord with the rebels, reigniting the ethnic aspect of Mali's multi-dimensional conflict..In early July, the FAMA, with aid from Russian mercenaries, increased attack against the Tuaregs, as targeting the likes of JNIM and other militant Islamic groups in the country has proven difficult, which is in-part due to the high mobility of the groups, whose members make use of motorcycles to move freely around the 'tri-border zone' between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso..Furthermore, as posited by the academics Walther, Leuprecht, and Skillcorn, the Tuareg rebels and Islamic militant groups "split and coalesce as new opportunities arise," with both groups fighting against the same power, they make use of opportunities to inflict large casualties before pulling back and pursuing other individual goals..This is evidenced by the aftermath of this most recent attack, with both the Tuaregs and JNIM claiming the attack as their own, rather than a joint endeavour..Moreover, some security analysts have claimed that the attack came as the result of the Tuaregs coordination with Western PMC's such as Academi Blackwater, although there is little available evidence to support the claim..Taking a macro approach, it appears that this attack is the result of a meticulous strategy employed by the Tuaregs. Drawing the FAMA and Russian personnel deep into their territory—where the Tuaregs know the land well—and away from supply routes, with Tessalit the nearest supply stop laying just under 180 miles away from Tinzaouten.