Mali convoy ambush kills 50 soldiers, dozens captured

On July 18, 2026, a Malian army convoy traveling from the northern town of Anefis toward Gao was ambushed near Tabankort in the Gao region. The attack was jointly claimed by the al‑Qaida‑linked Jama’at Nusrat al‑Islam wal‑Muslimin (JNIM) and the Tuareg separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). Local officials reported at least 50 soldiers killed and about 24 taken prisoner; rebels released videos showing captured troops and alleged executions. The convoy was accompanied by members of Russia’s Africa Corps, which suffered no casualties. Mali’s army said a counter‑offensive, including air strikes on rebel positions, was underway. The ambush follows weeks of intense fighting around Anefis, where JNIM and FLA briefly seized the town in early July. The incident deepens a 14‑year security crisis that has left more than five million Malians—about 20 % of the population—in need of humanitarian assistance.