Malian opposition figures and members of the military have been detained or abducted following coordinated militant and separatist attacks on junta positions, security, legal and family sources told AFP on Wednesday.
The assaults last month by the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) plunged Mali into a renewed security crisis marked by shifting frontlines and deep uncertainty.
Strategic towns, including Kidal in the northern desert and Kati near Bamako, were hit in the April 25–26 offensive, with several areas later falling under FLA and militant control.
A blockade on Bamako has since tightened, choking vital transport routes and deepening pressure on a landlocked nation heavily reliant on cross-border trade.
At least 23 people were killed in the fighting, according to a hospital source, while independent verification remains difficult amid restricted access and ongoing unrest.
Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in a car bomb attack at his residence, prompting junta leader Assimi Goïta to assume his responsibilities in a swift transfer of power.
The army chief was also replaced on Wednesday, with General Elise Jean Dao appointed without explanation in the latest reshuffle since the attacks.
Opposition figures Mountaga Tall, Youssouf Daba Diawara and Moussa Djire are among those reported abducted, with allegations ranging from destabilisation plots to links with exiled political figures.
Tall was taken in Bamako on May 2 by hooded men, his family said, and has since been questioned over alleged attempts to undermine the military government.
Authorities claim there is “solid evidence” of complicity among some military personnel in planning and executing the attacks, raising fears of internal purges.
Analysts and officials warn the crisis is being used to tighten control over both the armed forces and political opposition under growing security pressure.
Meanwhile, the militant blockade continues to paralyse transport into Bamako, stranding goods and passengers, forcing carriers like Maersk to suspend operations from regional hubs.