An Islamist group associated with Al-Qaeda, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), declared that it had taken control of a military base in northern Mali. The group claimed that it utilized a suicide-bomb vehicle to capture the Niafounke camp on Friday. The announcement was verified by SITE, a US organization monitoring radicalized groups. JNIM asserted that it caused significant casualties among Malian soldiers during the attack, seizing armoured vehicles, weapons, and ammunition. However, the Malian army rejected these claims and stated that it had successfully repelled the assaults on the bases. The conflict in Mali has been marked by the presence of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State-affiliated groups, as well as self-defense forces and bandits, since 2012. The recent withdrawal of UN forces at the request of the ruling junta has intensified clashes in the north between the military and Islamist and separatist factions seeking control over the area.