Hisn Al-Mateen Bloc denounces Bamako junta's “double standards” on terrorism and Azawad

The traitors of Bamako trade in terrorism and declare war on the people of Azawad

Bamako's double standards threaten to plunge the Sahel into a new spiral of instability.

Recent events in Mali have exposed the dangerous double strategy pursued by the ruling military council in Bamako. In a move that not only betrays the Malian people and international partners but paves the way for the collapse of the state, the junta is trying to “buy peace” with organisations internationally designated as terrorist, while simultaneously waging a brutal war against the people of Azawad. This policy will not merely fail; it opens the door to a new wave of instability that will sweep the entire Sahel.

According to intelligence described as reliable, a secret meeting was held on 8 September 2025 in the Tilemsi area between influential figures from the “Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims” (JNIM), known drug traffickers and Malian intelligence officials, with the aim of striking a financial deal to lift the stranglehold imposed by terrorist groups on strategic towns. This deal clearly exposes the junta's choice: legitimising and financing terrorism in exchange for a temporary and fragile peace.

Instead of confronting these extremist groups, the junta is providing them with substantial funding, strengthening their capabilities and recruitment and turning them into unavoidable political and security players, undermining all regional and international counter-terrorism efforts.

At the same time, the Malian army and its Russian mercenary allies of the “Africa Corps” are concentrating all their military power on crushing the political aspirations of the people of Azawad, waging a relentless war against civilians in Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal. The targeting of infrastructure, the killing of innocents and the worsening humanitarian crisis reveal the junta's real priority: eliminating any Azawadi political project seeking autonomy or independence, even at the cost of coexisting with the jihadist threat.

This schizophrenic policy is already having grave consequences. While the army is busy with its war in the north, terrorist groups have tightened their grip on Bamako, besieging it from the west (Kayes and Nioro) and the south (Sikasso). The recent series of attacks, including the storming of an army camp at Sifo, the bombing of major roads and the seizure of police posts, shows the utter failure of the junta and its allies to secure the country.

The Hisn Al-Mateen Bloc strongly condemns this treacherous policy and warns of its catastrophic consequences. By distinguishing between “good terrorists” to negotiate with and “political enemies” to be crushed, the junta has lost all credibility and legitimacy. We call on the international community and the peoples of the Sahel to recognise the gravity of the situation and to hold the junta to account before Mali and the entire Sahel pay an even higher price.

10 September 2025