Armed fighters attack multiple towns across Mali

Tuareg-led armed ⁠group says it attacked northern town where Malian troops and Russian fighters are based.Armed fighters have launched ⁠attacks in five ⁠locations across Mali, more than two months after gunmen attacked the capital and other parts of the country.The attacks took place on Saturday in areas including ‌a northern town where government forces and Russian fighters are ⁠based, and ⁠a town south of ⁠the capital, ⁠Bamako, Mali’s military and security sources said.The army said the attacks targeted Aguelhok, Anefis, Gao, Sevare and Kenieroba.The AFP news agency said a prison in Kenieroba was attacked, citing residents and security sources.It reported that the fighting in different locations started at about 5am local time (05:00 GMT).A Tuareg-led armed ⁠group confirmed that it had attacked a northern Malian town early on Saturday.Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), told the Reuters news agency that fighters from the group ⁠attacked the town of Anefis ⁠in the northeastern Kidal region.Government and Russian troops deployed in Anefis in the wake of attacks on April 25 and 26, in which the FLA and the regional al-Qaeda ⁠affiliate seized control of Kidal town.Ramadane also told AFP that “several positions have fallen, but fighting is still underway inside the city” of Anefis.An Anefis resident contacted by AFP said “armed groups are in the town, but the army is still putting up resistance. The camp [there] has not yet fallen”.Anefis and Aguelhok, both in the north, are the last remaining locations where Mali’s army maintains a presence in the Kidal region, following the April attacks.