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Siege of Timbuktu

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Siege of Timbuktu
Part of the Mali War
Date8 August 2023 (2023-08-08) – present
(1 year, 3 months, 1 week and 2 days)
Location
Timbuktu, Mali
Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Mali Mali
Wagner Group (alleged by JNIM)		 Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin
Commanders and leaders
Mali Assimi Goïta Iyad Ag Ghaly

The jihadist organisation Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) has imposed a complete blockade upon the city of Timbuktu, Mali since 8 August 2023.[1] Since the beginning of the siege, 33,000 have fled the city and the surrounding areas to other nearby localities, while 1,000 others have fled to Mauritania. Intense shelling of the city has occurred throughout the siege.[2] The blockade has sparked food and aid shortages in the city. The siege began after the withdrawal of MINUSMA, the United Nations mission to Mali during the Mali War.[3]

Siege

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On 26 August, shelling near the Malian Solidarity Bank by jihadists killed a child and injured 4 other people, according to an army spokesman and a hospital source.[4] Four days later, on 30 August, JNIM said they had shelled the military airport in Timbuktu, which they claimed was being used by Wagner Group mercenaries.[5] On 11 September, Sky Mali, the last commercial airline still flying to Timbuktu, said they'd cease flights to the city due to the deteriorating security situation. Shell firing was reported at the airport on the day of the announcement.[6] In a JNIM shelling of Timbuktu on 21 September, two were said to have been killed, with five injured.[7] the death toll was updated to five dead the next day.[8] On 27 September, JNIM claimed to have attacked a Malian military base near Timbuktu, initially with a car bomb, and then seized the base after heavy fighting. JNIM never specified casualties, nor did the FAMA confirm any loss of the base.[9]

Due to mediation from local chiefs, insurgents briefly agreed to allow food trucks in to the city, although this decision was quickly reversed after they alleged that the Wagner Group and Malian military were exploiting this to commit atrocities.[10] Despite the blockade, locals still held an annual festival in December 2023 to promote unity and resilience in the face of the siege.

References

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  1. ^ "In Mali, Timbuktu grapples with resurgent jihadist threat". Archived from the original on 2023-09-14. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  2. ^ "Mali's ancient city Timbuktu under siege again". Archived from the original on 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  3. ^ "Islamist Blockade on Timbuktu Stops Food and Aid as Prices Spike". 2023-08-28. Archived from the original on 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  4. ^ Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Shelling Kills One Child In Timbuktu, Mali". www.barrons.com. Archived from the original on 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  5. ^ "Al-Qaeda Affiliate GSIM Claims Attack Against Timbuktu Military Airport, Alleges It Houses Wagner Group And Malian Soldiers". MEMRI. Archived from the original on 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  6. ^ Diallo, Tiemoko (2023-09-11). "Commercial flights halted to Mali's Timbuktu amid Islamist blockade". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2023-09-22. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  7. ^ "Attack kills at least two people in Mali's besieged city of Timbuktu". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2023-09-30. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  8. ^ Staff Writer; France-Presse, Agence. "Attack kills five in Mali's Timbuktu: Governor". www.zawya.com. Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  9. ^ "Malian army suffers car bomb attack near Timbuktu – The North Africa Post". Archived from the original on 2024-01-29. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  10. ^ "Timbuktu: Mali's ancient city defies jihadist siege to stage a festival". 2023-12-19. Archived from the original on 2024-02-27. Retrieved 2024-03-07.

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