Malian Army (Armée de Terre)
The land force — the bulk of the FDS, carrying the war in every region.
Broad area of activity
Garrisons and operations nationwide; the force that holds — and loses — the towns.
Notable history
Collapsed northward in 2012 under-equipped and under-paid; rebuilt through EUTM training and post-2021 recruitment drives. Expanded rapid-intervention battalions carry most offensive operations, typically alongside Russian personnel since 2022. The 2023 northern campaign was its high point; the 2024–2026 reversals from Tinzaouatène to Kidal its hardest test.
Strengths
Numbers and recruitment; hard-won counterinsurgency experience; vehicle-borne rapid intervention units; drone-supported operations.
Limitations
Isolated garrisons dependent on vulnerable convoys; morale and desertion pressures under repeated mass-casualty attacks; conduct in operations documented by UN and NGO reporting as a driver of civilian grievance.
Documented equipment
Reported & historical equipment associations
Related locations
Anéfis: Held the base under siege and retook the town on 10 July 2026, at a stated cost of about 30 soldiers.