The Malian rebel group has claimed responsibility for the downing of a military helicopter in the Kidal region, but the Malian army haven’t confirmed the claim.
The Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA), a mostly Tuareg rebel movement, said its fighters used a drone to shoot down the aircraft in Tessalit, a town in northeastern Mali, on the night of February 11. However, the country’s armed forces denied the claim, saying instead that a “terrorist” drone had been seized in the area.
The Malian army’s general staff said in a statement on February 12 that a drone had been detected at Tessalit airport and was “attempting to observe a FAMA (Malian Armed Forces) helicopter on the helipad.” The statement added that the helicopter successfully refueled, took off and returned to base without any incident.
Despite this, FLA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane insisted that the rebels had indeed shot down the helicopter and rejected the military’s version of events. The claim could not be verified by independent journalists.
The FLA, which emerged after several Tuareg separatist groups merged in late 2023, continued to defy the Malian army after being forced out of Kidal in November of that year. In July 2024, the group launched a deadly attack on Malian soldiers and Russian Wagner paramilitaries reportedly operating from positions close to the Algerian border.
Following that attack, Ukrainian intelligence official Andriy Yusov suggested that Kyiv was providing information to help the rebels, but Ukraine later denied any involvement, including allegations that it provided the group with drones.
Mali’s military government, which seized power in a 2021 coup, has severed longstanding security ties with France and other European partners and instead deepened military and political ties with Russia.