France says it has captured Islamic State bigwig in Mali

Oumeya Ould Albakaye, Islamic State in Better Sahara’s chief in two provinces of Mali and Burkina Faso was captured in an in a single day operation this week.

In an announcement printed on Wednesday, the Ministry of the French Armed Forces mentioned that Oumeya Ould Albakaye was captured within the evening between June 11 and 12 amid by Operation Barkhane [File: Benoit Tessier/Reuters]

French troops working on the border between Mali and Niger have arrested a senior determine of the Islamic State in Better Sahara (ISGS) armed group, authorities in Paris have mentioned.

In an announcement printed on Wednesday, the Ministry of the French Armed Forces mentioned that Oumeya Ould Albakaye was captured in a single day from June 11-12 by Operation Barkhane – a French navy operation deployed within the Sahel area since 2013.

The navy motion which began weeks in the past, concerned air forces and one floor unit, in keeping with the assertion. The military added that a number of cellphones and arms have been seized.

Albakaye was the chief of the ISGS, a bunch affiliated with the ISIL (ISIS) group, within the provinces of Gourma and Oudalan, two areas respectively in Mali and Burkina Faso. The French military mentioned he was additionally answerable for the coordination of a community implementing explosive gadgets.

ISGS was based in 2015 by Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi who was killed final September.

Mali has been racked by violence for a decade, particularly in its area bordering Niger and Burkina Faso. In 2013, France intervened to stamp out a revolt within the north. However the rebels regrouped to assault the risky centre of the nation, initiating a full-throated riot that elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was unable to brake.

In August 2020, protests in opposition to Keita culminated in a coup by disgruntled colonels within the Malian military – a transfer that was adopted by a second navy takeover in Could 2021.

From that time, relations with France went steadily downhill, propelled by the navy’s resistance to setting an early date to revive civilian rule and by Bamako’s allegations that France was inciting regional neighbours to take a tough line in opposition to its navy rule.

Issues worsened in 2021 as Mali’s navy wove nearer ties with Moscow, bringing in “navy instructors” that France and its allies known as mercenaries employed from the pro-Kremlin Wagner group.

In January this yr, the French ambassador to Bamako was expelled and the next month, France introduced the pullout of its troops from Mali, and people within the French-led Takuba drive.

Whereas the navy initially pledged to return energy to civilians by February 2022, on Monday it pushed the date to March 24 – a transfer that was not welcomed by regional actor ECOWAS who has imposed sanctions on Mali.