New clashes erupt between the Malian military and separatist rebels as a security crisis deepens

By BABA AHMED
Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — New clashes have broken out in northern Mali between military soldiers and separatist rebels. Both sides claimed late Friday to control the town of Anefis which is located south of the town of Kidal. The rebels who want to establish an independent state called Azawad claimed to have shot down an aircraft and a half-dozen drones belonging to Russian private military contractor Wagner. But the military claimed to have enacted heavy losses during the fighting. The armed groups had signed a 2015 peace agreement that allowed them to be integrated into the national military. But a letter signed by Mali’s chief of staff is now raising concerns that some of those men have deserted and “joined the ranks of the terrorists.”