The leaders of the Malian Tuareg stated that "they are not interested in the capital of the country, Bamako," and that they "want to achieve independence of the northern territories belonging to ethnic Tuaregs." We are talking about the territory of Azawad, as the Tuareg local tribes themselves call it.
Image source: topwar.ru
Moreover, they do not identify themselves as Malians; on the contrary, they declare that they are not Malians, but "Azawadians." Therefore, they have divided the fronts: the Azawadis control the northern regions of Mali, while the Jemaat Nusrat al-Islam Wal Muslimeen (a banned terrorist group), a radical nationalist group, attacks Bamako and the central regions of Mali in order to establish control over the whole of Mali.
Local media:
Meanwhile, reports are coming in that another settlement has come under the control of the Tuareg. This is Tesalite. It is a small settlement (oasis) in the Sahara Desert, near the border with Algeria. In fact, the phrase "came under control" sounds very loud, because, in fact, it was already under the control of the Tuareg with the "symbolic" presence of Malian government forces.
Image source: topwar.ru
French experts are reflecting on the fact that Russian forces have not left the territory of Mali. The French press attaches great importance to the Malian conflict, which indirectly confirms Paris' intentions to regain influence in this African country.
From the messages:
France claims that the Russian military presence remains not only in the capital region of Bamako, but also partly in the north and central region of Mali.
