The Malian army on Monday initiated the redeployment of troops towards the northern militant stronghold of Kidal, according to two security officials.
“As part of the reorganisation of our arrangements in the north, we have begun the redeployment of our forces in the northeastern region of Kidal,” a Mali military official who spoke on condition of anonymity told media.
Early on Monday, a convoy departed from the northern city of Gao, located approximately 300 kilometers (186 miles) southwest of Kidal, as reported by the source.
Another security official indicated that the convoy consisted of 119 vehicles and was presently halted on the northern route out of Gao.
The decision to deploy the troops was made by national security chiefs during a late-night meeting on Sunday, he further explained.
Since the end of August, the northern region of Mali has witnessed a renewed outbreak of hostilities by Tuareg-dominated separatist factions, along with a heightened wave of jihadist assaults targeting the Malian military.
In 2012, ethnic Tuaregs in northern Mali initiated an uprising, subsequently receiving support from the Islamic extremists affiliated with the Ansar Dine group.
Vast portions of the nation came under the control of jihadists, encompassing the three primary northern cities of Gao, Kidal, and Timbuktu.
The recent surge in violence corresponds with the continued withdrawal of the UN stabilization force MINUSMA, which has been compelled to leave due to pressure from the ruling junta.