FAMa Airstrike Destroys Terrorist Base Near Dioura, 60+ Militants Neutralized — Mopti Region

The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) General Staff announced on April 23, 2026 the successful execution of a large-scale aerial strike operation northwest of Dioura, Mopti Region, central Mali. Air assets were deployed to conduct targeted strikes on a major terrorist stronghold described by FAMa's DIRPA as 'a strategic refuge of terrorist groups.' The operation resulted in the neutralization of more than 60 enemy combatants and the complete destruction of the facility's infrastructure. The Mopti Region remains one of the most contested areas of the Sahel conflict — it is the operational heartland of JNIM's Katiba Macina, which draws recruits from the region's Fulani pastoral communities under commander Amadou Koufa. Dioura and its surrounding cercle in Ségou-Mopti border zone have been subject to repeated JNIM attacks on military bases and gendarmerie posts since 2016. The April 23 airstrike is one of the largest single-operation neutralization claims by FAMa in 2026, following the April 13–14 Soum Province operation (100 claimed kills near Arbinda). FAMa's DIRPA statement cited ongoing 'day and night' surveillance of national territory as the basis for the strike, suggesting Africa Corps intelligence support for target identification. As with all FAMa casualty claims, independent verification is not possible given restrictions on media access to conflict areas.