Niger River valley and the Ménaka/Ansongo zone. The ISSP core area, contested with JNIM; MSA and GATIA militias hold out around Ménaka.
Recent (to 21 Oct 2026)
- Mid-Oct 2026: Sahel Monitor map marks an attack on the river road south of Gao toward Ansongo (unverified).
- 15 Oct: FAMa, MSA and partners raided the ISSP-held town of Inarabane; the alleged local IS leader ‘Abdoul Barr’ fled and civilians were spared (C3, Sahel Monitor, t.me/sahelmonitor/474, 16 Oct 2026), (D3, Departamente, t.me/departamente/8269, 16 Oct 2026). 18 Oct: reprisal massacre of Daoussahak camps, see Ménaka camps massacre (Oct 2026).
- ~18 Oct: FAMa back at the Intahaka gold mine (Gao) (C3, Sahel Monitor, t.me/sahelmonitor/497, 18 Oct 2026), (D3, Departamente, t.me/departamente/8278, 19 Oct 2026). 28 Sep: ISSP ambushed a FAMa/Africa Corps convoy on the Ansongo–Ménaka road; no details (C3, Sahel Monitor, t.me/sahelmonitor/311, 29 Sep 2026).
- Early Aug: JNIM IED campaign against the northbound convoys. Claimed hits on an armoured vehicle between Tangara and Bourem (2 Aug, drone image circulating) (C3, Faytuks News Discord (west-africa-sahel) via @BrantPhilip_, x.com/BrantPhilip_/status/2083931476635033965, 2 Aug 2026), on the convoy between Douentza and Boni (6 Aug) (C3, Faytuks News Discord (west-africa-sahel) via @KargnHasret, x.com/KargnHasret/status/2085323707472298157, 6 Aug 2026), and on a convoy between Gao and Bourem (8 Aug evening) (F3, Sahel Alerte (X), x.com/SahelAlerte/status/2086197882785296708, 8 Aug 2026).
Active here
- Africa Corps
- FLA
- GATIA
- ISSP
- Intahaka artisanal gold site
- MSA
- Plateforme
- Tessit artisanal gold zone
- Wagner Group
Key events here
Media
Third-party image not reproduced here. Original: Sahel Monitor (t.me/sahelmonitor), posted 15 Oct 2026.