Battle of Bamba

Prior to the battle, residents of Bamba stated JNIM militants were riding around the town on motorbikes, and setting up positions in preparation for the attack.^[2] The attack was launched at 5:15am on April 6, with the fighters attacking an old inn that Malian troops were using as a military base.^[2][3] After destroying and seizing equipment from the base, the jihadists retreated.^[3][4] The attack was claimed four days later, on April 10, by JNIM.^[5]

On the day of the attack, local elected officials stated that at least twenty Malian soldiers were killed in the attack.^[4] Both civilians and the elected officials stated that JNIM only targeted the Malian base, and no civilians were harmed.^[2][1] In the following days, after Malian operations to recover bodies and the captured weaponry, it was assessed that 25 Malian troops were killed and six wounded, with around a dozen JNIM fighters sustaining casualties during the battle.^[1][6] JNIM claimed in its statement admitting its involvement in the attack that around 30 Malian troops were killed.^[5]

In late April, it was reported that Abu Yahya al-Jizari, the leader of JNIM and commander in the battle at Bamba, succumbed to injuries sustained during combat in Bamba.^[7] He was later replaced by Talha al-Libi.^[8]