Mali armed groups claim to capture key town after intense fighting

Armed groups from northern Mali claimed to have captured the key town of Bourem, situated between Gao and Timbuktu, following fighting with the Malian army.

The Permanent Strategic Framework (CSP) — a coalition of armed factions that had signed a peace agreement with the state in 2015 — issued a statement on Tuesday saying it had carried out an operation at Bourem, taking "control of the camp and various advanced posts" from the Malian army and the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.

CSP spokesperson Mohamed El Maouloud Ramadane said in the statement that "intense fighting" had preceded the town's capture.

The Malian authorities could not be reached for comment.

The alliance of predominantly Tuareg armed groups had since 2012 been rebelling against the state but in 2015 signed a peace agreement with the Malian government.

The deal — known as the Algiers agreement — had begun to show cracks in recent months as tensions escalated.

One of its signatories, the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), on Monday said it considered itself to be at "war" with Mali's ruling junta, which seized power in 2020.