Africa: All of Africa Today – October 7, 2026

Mali Army Retakes Kidal With Russian Support

Mali’s army, backed by Russian paramilitary forces, has retaken the northern town of Kidal after Tuareg separatists announced a “strategic and controlled withdrawal” from the area. The Azawad Liberation Front said its forces withdrew without direct fighting, attributing the move to what it described as the disproportionate use of air power by Russia’s Africa Corps. Kidal has long been a stronghold of Tuareg separatists seeking an independent state in…