(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) Tuareg rebels withdraw from strategic town of Kidal in northern Mali | Tuareg News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/6/tuareg-rebels-withdraw-from-strategic-town-of-kidal-in-northern-mali)                                             (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/10/6/tuareg-rebels-withdraw-from-strategic-town-of-kidal-in-northern-mali)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/afp_6ac516df080f-1791301343.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)  (../../../../wp-content/uploads/2026/10/afp_6ac516df080f-1791301343.jpg@resize=770,513&quality=80)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.6c6e15fe.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.e3bc53a0.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.74fd263a.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~5db14389.a7dc5dd5.r2.chunk.css) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.3f309873.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~06be7c11.0625e98d.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/pages/article-page~493df0b3.accd71c7.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (tuareg-rebels-withdraw-from-strategic-town-of-kidal-in-northern-mali@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/aljazeera-originals) Originals   (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News |(https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/tuareg/) Tuareg   Tuareg rebels withdraw from strategic town of Kidal in northern Mali The Azawad Liberation Front said sustained air strikes by Malian troops and Russian allies forced its tactical retreat.   Listen   Listen (3 mins)       Save       Share Tuareg rebels withdraw from strategic town of Kidal in northern Mali on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Flt2h3d) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Tuareg%20rebels%20withdraw%20from%20strategic%20town%20of%20Kidal%20in%20northern%20Mali&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Flt2h3d) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Flt2h3d) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/lt2h3d)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      ((FILES) A general view of a damaged school near the Kidal regional headquarters in Kidal, on May 9, 2026.)   A damaged school in northern Mali, where rebel forces have withdrawn after facing attacks by government forces and their Russian allies [File: AFP]   By  AFPand Reuters   Published On 6 Oct 2026 6 Oct 2026    Mali’s Tuareg rebels have announced they are withdrawing from the strategic town of Kidal, in the north of the country. The (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/28/what-is-the-azawad-liberation-front-part-of-the-mali-attacks) Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a coalition formed in 2024 uniting Tuareg and northern separatist factions, said in a statement on Tuesday that it had decided to carry out a “controlled withdrawal” from Kidal six months after capturing the town and amid fresh air strikes by Mali’s military backed by Russian fighters. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/14/niger-mutiny-exposes-growing-reliance-on-russia) Niger mutiny exposes growing reliance on Russia  list 2 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/21/the-sahel-and-the-un-a-smaller-footprint-a-different-role) The Sahel and the UN: a smaller footprint, a different role  list 3 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/28/paris-court-finds-swiftair-guilty-over-2014-mali-crash-that-killed-116) Paris court finds Swiftair guilty over 2014 Mali crash that killed 116   end of list  “The FLA specifies that this is a temporary operational measure, also intended to preserve its human and logistical capabilities intact. This methodical withdrawal from the area took place without any direct combat having yet pitted its forces against the enemy,” the statement said. Earlier on Tuesday, Mali’s military said it had launched large-scale air and ground operations in the region ⁠⁠around Kidal. The goals of the operations included “tracking down and neutralizing” armed groups ⁠⁠in the area, destroying their supply networks, and restoring “lasting security” and free movement for people and goods, a Malian military statement said. Pro-government fighters, including Russian paramilitaries, re-entered Kidal on Tuesday afternoon, a security source said. Mali has been gripped by conflict since 2012, when a Tuareg separatist rebellion in the north was overtaken by al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militants, who later consolidated under Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) in 2017. While the FLA presents itself as a secular nationalist movement seeking independence for Mali’s Azawad region and JNIM is an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, the two sides(https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/27/why-malis-northern-conflict-has-entered-a-dangerous-new-phase) have set ideological differences aside to confront the Malian government. Advertisement    The FLA says it remains committed to independence for Azawad, the name separatists use for northern Mali, while JNIM says it is fighting to “liberate” Mali and overthrow the government. The military has ruled the country since a 2021 coup, pledging to restore order and unity. JNIM has gained in strength ‌‌since the Malian soldiers who seized power expelled French forces and some 15,000 United Nations peacekeepers, ‌‌and turned to Russian paramilitaries for defence support. Since the FLA and JNIM launched a joint offensive in April, the conflict has escalated with increasing attacks on the military-backed government forces. The Malian government says it is working to restore state authority and dismantle what it calls a “terrorist alliance” between the FLA and JNIM.             aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss     (https://bsky.app/profile/aljazeera.com) bluesky     (https://www.tiktok.com/@aljazeeraenglish) tiktok-colored-outline                  (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network