Mali: Army receives new Turkish Akinci drones

Malian Defense Minister General Sadio Camara handed over Turkish Akinci drones to the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces General Omar Diarra for the Malian Air Force.

The handover ceremony took place on Friday at Air Base 200 in the city of Sévari, in the presence of Air Force Chief of Staff General Allo Boa Diarra and some representatives of military and civilian authorities.

“The operational superiority of the Malian armed forces is inevitably strengthened by the continuous acquisition of modern and effective equipment,” the minister said in a speech on the occasion, adding that the delivery of these drones is part of this dynamic and constitutes a new step towards building a more modern, independent and effective army in the fight against terrorism.

According to the Malian Armed Forces website, the Sahel region is facing a complex development of threats, noting that conflicts are increasing and taking different patterns, combining conventional warfare, asymmetric tactics, information warfare and sabotage of economic infrastructure.

“The Malian armed forces continue their transformation and permanent adaptation in order to anticipate threats and maintain superiority over the enemy”, he said, noting that strengthening the army’s capabilities is a key axis in the work of the state and is among the priorities of national defense.

General Camara appealed to what he described as lost fighters, to lay down their arms and return to the republic, stressing that those who insist on their position will be neutralized by the force of fire and the determination of the Malian armed forces.

He stressed that what he described as the successes achieved on the ground are the result of the unwavering support of the Malian people, the commitment of our valiant armed forces, and close co-ordination with the brotherly countries in the Sahel Alliance within the framework of a joint force that works to thwart the enemy’s plans.

The General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces announced in a brief statement on Friday that more than 10 militants were killed during an air strike carried out on Thursday in the Mordia region in the southwest of the country.

Earlier on Thursday, gunmen attacked a convoy of dozens of tankers, destroying it and killing a number of military personnel and attackers.

It said the attack took place on the road between the Senegalese border and the western Malian city of Kai, adding that three Malian soldiers and four attackers were killed.

Mali has suffered in recent months from a severe fuel shortage due to a blockade imposed by the Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimin last September, which lasted for some time, before the country was able to break it and bring in significant quantities of fuel.