Fighting continues in Anéfis, Mali, as Tuareg separatists and jihadists launch offensive

Fighting continued on Monday afternoon for control of the Anéfis camp in northern Mali, where Russian paramilitaries and Malian soldiers are entrenched. This follows a coordinated offensive launched on Saturday morning by a coalition of Tuareg separatists and jihadists across the country. The jihadists of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims JNIM, affiliated with Al-Qaeda, and the separatists of the FLA Azawad Liberation Front led new attacks from north to south. The FLA claims control of Anéfis, a town crucial for securing its hold on Kidal, which they captured two months prior. Russian paramilitaries from Africa Corps and Malian soldiers remain in the camp, with rebels and JNIM allies launching shells towards them on Monday morning. A security source reported that Russians used kamikaze drones on Sunday night. FLA reinforcements arrived in Anéfis early Monday morning in dozens of armed vehicles. A Malian military source stated that their men are holding the camp. A Malian army convoy from Gao, sent to assist those in Anéfis, was ambushed by the FLA on Sunday and forced to turn back. Between five and eight military vehicles were destroyed in the ambush, according to Wamaps, a collective of West African journalists. At least one army helicopter was also destroyed. On Monday, the army announced a series of airstrikes on "strategic points" and the center of Anéfis, claiming the neutralization of several JNIM and FLA terrorists. The African Union condemned the "terrori