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42 Mali soldiers killed in suspected jihadist attacks
Mali’s armed forces are struggling with a decade-long jihadist insurgency. By KENZO TRIBOUILLARD (AFP)
Forty-two Malian soldiers died in a sophisticated weekend attack by suspected jihadists using drones artillery, authorities said Wednesday, the latest violent incident to rock the troubled Sahel country.
The toll is one of the bloodiest in Mali’s decade-long insurgency, which has spread from the north of the country to the centre and south and into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
A document naming the dead was authenticated to AFP by several senior military officials, while the government later confirmed the toll in a statement that said 22 soldiers were injured and 37 “terrorists” were neutralised.
The attack occurred on Sunday in the town of Tessit, in the troubled “three-border” region where the frontiers of the three nations converge.
On Monday, the army had said 17 soldiers and four civilians had died. Relatives of the victims, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that some of the civilians had been elected officials.
Monday’s statement pointed the finger of blame at the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), saying its members had deployed “drone and artillery support and (used) explosives and an explosives-laden vehicle”.
The last time Mali’s armed forces sustained such losses was in a string of attacks in the same region in late 2019 and early 2020.
Hundreds of soldiers were killed in assaults on nearly a dozen bases, typically carried out by highly mobile fighters on motorbikes.
The raids prompted the Malian, Nigerien and Burkinabe forces to fall back from forward bases and hunker down in better-defended locations.
In January 2020, France and its Sahel allies agreed on a push against the ISGS at a summit in Pau, southwestern France.
Several of its leaders were targeted and killed, including its founder, Abu Walid Al-Sahraoui, but local people say the group has continued to recruit and carry out its operations.
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Tessit is one of the hotspots in the three-border area.
The ISGS is fighting for control of the strategic, gold-rich area against an Al-Qaeda-linked alliance, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM).
In March 2021, 33 soldiers were killed in an ISGS-claimed ambush as units were being rotated, and in February this year, around 40 civilians — suspected by the ISGS of being in league with Al-Qaeda — were massacred.
Mobile phone connections to the area have been frequently cut over the last few years and physical access is hard, especially during the mid-year rainy season.
Thousands have fled Tessit to the nearest large town, Gao, which is located some 150 kilometres (90 miles) to the north.
Across the Sahel, the jihadist campaign has claimed thousands of lives and forced more than two million to flee their homes.
Sporadic cross-border attacks have also occurred in Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin to the south, amplifying fears of a jihadist push towards the Gulf of Guinea. – AFP
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Health Minister leads delegation Mimi Darko’s appointment as AMA Director General
Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister for Health and Member of Parliament has led a delegation to secure the appointment of Dr Delese Mimi Darko, Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority, as the Director General of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) during the ongoing 2nd Ordinary Session of the Conference of State Parties in Kigali, Rwanda.
This prestigious appointment, achieved through a competitive process, marks a proud and historic moment for Ghana and the entire continent.
It highlights Dr. Darko’s exceptional leadership, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to enhancing public health and regulatory systems across Africa.
The Minister expressed his deep appreciation to President John Dramani Mahama for his strong support and leadership throughout this process.
Mr.Akandoh congratulated Dr. Mimi Darko and Team Ghana for their incredibly successful campaign.
The AMA was established by the African Union on November 5, 2021, with the primary objective of improving access to quality, safe, and effective medical products throughout the continent. Its creation aims to facilitate the regulation and oversight of essential medicines at a continental level while promoting collaboration among African countries and regions.
The Agency’s mission is to provide leadership in creating an enabling regulatory environment for the pharmaceutical sector in Africa, ensuring that the African population has access to essential medical products and technologies.
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Police arrest five suspects involved in robbery cases in Ashanti Region
The Police Intelligence Directorate (PID) in the Ashanti Region has informed the public about a recent breakthrough in the fight against armed robbery in the Denchemuoso District.
Following a series of robbery incidents in the area, on April 22, 2025, PID/Ashanti operatives, acting on credible intelligence, apprehended one Michael Owusu Ansah, alias Baby Last, aged 32.
The suspect had been on the police wanted list since 2016 in connection with a robbery and the murder of Police Officer G/Cpl Frank Essel of SWAT/Ashanti, which occurred at the Open Space Hotel in Denchemuoso on May 19, 2016.
During interrogation, the suspect confessed to engaging in multiple street and residential robberies in Denchemuoso, Atwima-Techiman, Asuoyeboah, and surrounding areas.
He also disclosed that his gang operated with knives, pistols, and pump-action guns.
Further investigations led to the identification and arrest of his accomplices, namely:Emmanuel Owusu, alias Cassidy, Maxwell Gyimah, alias Nana Kwame, Sudais Oxford Ntiamoah, alias The Man Sudais and Rhano Okyere, alias Demon
These individuals were arrested from their hideouts within Atwima-Techiman and Denchemuoso.
However, one suspect, remains at large and efforts are underway to apprehend him and recover the weapons used in the robberies.
All five arrested suspects were arraigned before the Atasomanso Circuit Court on May 13, 2025.
They were remanded into police custody and are scheduled to reappear on June 4, 2025.
