The army retakes Kidal — Key Events — Sahel

What happened

Malian forces with Wagner support enter Kidal after the CSP withdraws under drone bombardment — the state's first control of the town since 2012.

The junta's defining victory and proof of its drone-enabled model; it held for twenty-nine months. Its loss in April 2026 measures exactly how far the pendulum has swung back.

Confidence: High

When14 Nov 2023

WhereKidal

KindMilitary · Territorial change

ArenaNorthern Mali / Azawad

Confidence: High Sources: Established historical record · Established international media reporting Methodology Corrections

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Connected records

2 records that this event names, or that name it — every one an explicit reference in a published record, nothing inferred from subject matter.

Participants1

Organisations this event records, with the role and confidence it states.

Wagner in Mali · atlasParticipantmoderate confidence

Also named1

Bayraktar TB2

Where this fits

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