Tuareg separatist heartland (Ifoghas). Taken by FAMa/Wagner in Nov 2023, lost to the FLA/JNIM on 25 Apr 2026, re-entered by FAMa and Africa Corps ~6 Oct 2026 after the FLA withdrew under air strikes. Aguelhok, Tessalit, Anéfis and Tinzaouaten (Algerian border) are the other key points. Aguelhok was vacated in May 2026 under an Algerian-mediated deal but FAMa was back by early Jul (see the Aguelhok note below).
Recent (to 21 Oct 2026)
- Oct 2026: FAMa/Africa Corps strikes around Anéfis (5 Oct, per African Initiative). FLA calls the Kidal pull-out ‘temporary’.
- 4–5 Oct: FAMa and Africa Corps air and drone strikes on Tinzaouaten and the Algerian border; pickups and a fuel store hit (C2, Sahel Monitor, t.me/sahelmonitor/349, 5 Oct 2026), (D2, Departamente, t.me/departamente/8225, 5 Oct 2026).
- 8 Sep: mortar fire damaged the Aguelhok mosque, blamed by Russia on JNIM/FLA; Africa Corps says it helped repair it (D3, Africa Corps (official channel), t.me/TheAfricanCorps/2585, 9 Sep 2026), (C3, Sahel Monitor, t.me/sahelmonitor/203, 9 Sep 2026).
- After the re-entry, RFI reported ‘more soldiers than residents’ in Kidal (~100 of 30,000+ remain), as relayed and disputed by Departamente (D3, Departamente, t.me/departamente/8248, 10 Oct 2026). Fuel depot at In-Afarak destroyed 10 Oct (D3, Departamente, t.me/departamente/8257, 11 Oct 2026).
- Aguelhok status (corrected 21 Oct 2026): about 100 Africa Corps and 400 FAMa left the base in May 2026 under an FLA/JNIM–Russian deal mediated by Algeria (Militarnyi, https://militarnyi.com/en/news/russian-africa-corps-and-malian-army-leave-last-northern-base/). FAMa was back by early Jul: the Defence Ministry listed Aguelhok among positions attacked on 4 Jul (via TASS, https://tass.com/world/2157075), FAMa reported air strikes near the town on 12 Jul (https://www.maliweb.net/insecurite/aguelhoc-les-fama-frappent-des-positions-de-groupes-armes-terroristes-3118352.html), Anéfis → Aguelhok convoys ran in Aug and Africa Corps helped repair the mosque in Sep. Exact return date unknown; the Sahel control map (Sahel control map (Google My Maps)) marks it state-held. Rated C2: consistent across sides, but no independent report of the return itself.
- 8 Aug: IEDs on Anéfis → Aguelhok convoys; a BRDM-type vehicle reportedly destroyed at Inboguitan and another vehicle near Tawaloust (JNIM claim) (F3, Faytuks News Discord (west-africa-sahel) via @oumaragg, x.com/oumaragg/status/2086022909110145342, 8 Aug 2026), (D3, Faytuks News Discord (west-africa-sahel) via @Walid_Leberbere, x.com/Walid_Leberbere/status/2086003589298676128, 8 Aug 2026), (C3, Faytuks News Discord (west-africa-sahel) via @KargnHasret, x.com/KargnHasret/status/2086044519582089671, 8 Aug 2026).
- 1–4 Aug: FAMa announced air strikes on a base in Kouakourou and a facility in Tessalit (1 Aug), a gathering site in Kidal with mining equipment (2 Aug), and Abeibara, a Kidal logistics depot and sites around Tessalit (4 Aug) (C3, Faytuks News Discord (west-africa-sahel) via @KargnHasret, x.com/KargnHasret/status/2084270261516357725, 3 Aug 2026), (C3, Faytuks News Discord (west-africa-sahel) via @KargnHasret, x.com/KargnHasret/status/2084685362966753660, 4 Aug 2026). Pro-Azawad accounts say the 3–7 Aug strikes on Kidal hit mosques, schools, health centres and the cemetery; this is unverified, though HRW documented civilian deaths from Africa Corps strikes in June (D4, Faytuks News Discord (west-africa-sahel) via @MedLilly1, x.com/MedLilly1/status/2084425736857760048, 4 Aug 2026), (F4, Faytuks News Discord (west-africa-sahel) via @oumaragg, x.com/oumaragg/status/2085813906090422712, 7 Aug 2026). 6 Aug: a claimed drone strike at Tinzaouaten killed six Nigerian migrants (untraced) (D4, Faytuks News Discord (west-africa-sahel) via @MedLilly1, x.com/MedLilly1/status/2085348820221628691, 6 Aug 2026).
Active here
- Africa Corps
- CSP-DPA
- FLA
- GATIA
- HCUA
- JNIM
- Kidal artisanal gold zone (Adrar des Ifoghas)
- MNLA
- Plateforme
- Wagner Group