Rebels have seized the northern Malian town of Anefis as they tighten their grip on the country’s far north, according to local sources, in a new wave of coordinated attacks that also struck Gao and Aguelhok.

The fighting was carried out by an alliance including Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM jihadists and Tuareg FLA separatists. Earlier in the year, the same groups had captured the strategic town of Kidal in late April, killing Mali’s defence minister.

On Saturday, the rebels attacked multiple localities in the north, including Gao, Anefis and Aguelhok, as well as at least three central towns and a prison facility near Mali’s capital.

By late afternoon, some of the clashes had reportedly eased. Mali’s military said it repelled attacks in several areas, including Gao, Anefis and Aguelhok, and also claimed it stopped attacks in the central towns of Sevare, Konna and Somadougou. The army later acknowledged assistance from Africa Corps, a Russian-linked paramilitary group.

Despite the military’s claims, a regional elected official said rebels had taken Anefis, adding that Russians were entrenched there and that “many” Malian soldiers had been captured. An FLA spokesman also said several positions had fallen at Anefis.

Anefis and Aguelhok were described as some of the last remaining northern locations where Mali’s army maintained a presence in the Kidal region after earlier offensives.

In parallel, the prison complex in Kenieroba—about 70 km southwest of Bamako—was also attacked, with authorities saying no fatalities were recorded even as vehicles and other objects were set on fire.

Overall, analysts cited by the report said the rebels’ objective appears to be securing and consolidating control in the north before moving further south.