Niafunké attack

In November 2023, the al-Qaeda-aligned militant coalition JNIM intensified its attacks against Malian and Wagner Group forces in Mali.^[1] In September, JNIM simultaneously attacked a civilian boat on the Niger River and a Malian military base in Bamba, launching the deadliest terror attack in the country's history that killed over 154 people.^[2] JNIM attacked a Malian and Wagner convoy near Anéfis in November, with no casualties reported.^[1]

On November 24, a suicide bomber named Dawud al-Ansari, blew up a vehicle at the entrance of the Malian base at Niafunke.^[1] The attack was simultaneously launched in Niafunke and Goundam, with the Malian government reporting that they had come under shell fire in both towns.^[3] In a statement, the Malian government claimed that the JNIM attack had been repulsed.^[4] Images released by JNIM media outlet Az-Zallaqa showed jihadists in control of the camp at Niafunke and riding motorbikes through the bodies of slain Malian soldiers. These images were later verified by SITE Intelligence Group.^[5] The JNIM statement claimed that fifty Malian soldiers were killed, and five vehicles were captured.^[6] The Malian government did not mention any casualties in a statement.^[4]