Mali: The FAMa claims to have repelled the jihadist attack on the San base, the JNIM claims victory
The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) announced on Sunday that they had repelled a dawn attack on their military hold in San, in the Segou region. A few hours later, channels affiliated with the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) claimed to have taken full control of the barracks. Two antagonistic versions of the same confrontation, which summarize, in a single day, the informational war between the Malian army and its attackers in the center of the country.
According to a « Flash Info » broadcast by the general staff, the attack was launched on Sunday at 5:30 a.m. against the FAMa base in San. The army said it had put up a « vigorous response », adding that « the attempt has been repulsed » and that « the situation is under control ». Africa Corps, the Russian contingent deployed alongside the transitional authorities, has backed up this version: in a separate publication and video, the group claims that JNIM and FLA fighters tried to storm the base held by the 23rd regiment of the FAMa, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel El Oumrani. More than forty attackers were killed, according to the same source.
In images relayed by Africa Corps, Lieutenant Colonel El Oumrani swears that « the enemy has been eliminated » and that « the base has not fallen », as combing operations are still underway in the area. Africa Corps added that the jihadists had released several videos of the military hold to proclaim a victory on social media, before withdrawing from the vicinity of the base.
The reading is the opposite on the side of the JNIM. On Sunday morning, a propaganda channel affiliated with the group claimed to have taken « full control of the Malian army barracks in the city of San As in other recent episodes, the reliability of these publications is difficult to establish: the images do not allow, at this stage, to verify an effective take, or a complete withdrawal.
The episode is part of a worrying upsurge in jihadist offensives against Malian military positions. Several garrisons have been targeted in recent months in different regions of the country, testing the security strategy of Bamako and its Russian partners, already criticized for its human cost. In San, the tactical truth remains, for the time being, suspended between the victorious communiqués of the army and the triumphalist narrative of the JNIM.
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