Al -Qaeda -related group assumes responsibility

A group related to al -Qaeda says it has made a major attack on the Malian city of Bulichey and has taken control of an army base.

More than 30 soldiers were killed in an attack on Sunday, according to sources quoted by the Reuters Agency, but this figure was not confirmed by the authorities.

On Monday, the same group, Jama’a Nusrat Ul-Islam wa al-muslimin (JNIM), says it is aimed at the military in the historic city of Timbuktu.

In a statement in response to the attack on Sunday, Mali’s army said “reacts vigorously” before “withdrew” – implied a tactical retreat.

“Many men were fighting, some to their last breath to protect the Malian nation,” the statement added.

An unnamed local source told Reuters that JNIM had left many victims and “cleared the camp”.

The attacks, the last sign of collapsing security in Mali and the broader Sahel region, came after the US Africa command warned of the increasing efforts of various different Islamist belligerent groups operating in Sahel to gain access to the Western Africa coastline.

During a press conference on Friday, the Commander of the Africom Africa (Africom), Gen. Michael Langley, describes recent attacks in Nigeria, the width of Sahel and the Chad pool as deeply anxious, warning that access to the groups will greatly enhance their ability to contradict.

It is estimated that more than 400 soldiers have been killed by fighters since the beginning of last month in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, Reuters reports.

Additional reporting by Simon Ponsford.