The Tuareg of the MNLA advance north and besiege Timbuktu. FAMA and Wagner are unable to stop their progress. The former will also have to provide aid to Niger if necessary and Russian contractors have limited resources

The Tuareg of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) continue to advance in Northern Mali, despite the efforts of the Bamako army (FAMA) and Wagner to stop them. In recent days, MNLA militiamen have reached Timbuktu from Bourem, besieging the city and bombing the FAMA positions inside. the separatists were joined by the JNIM, a local branch of al Qaeda, which attacks patrols and convoys of the army and Russian contractors. Furthermore, the jihadists ordered the supply trucks not to enter the city. As a result, Timbuktu has effectively been almost isolated from the rest of the African country and fewer and fewer foodstuffs are circulating within it. Furthermore, the Mali government has promised neighboring Niger military help in the event of an ECOWAS offensive. As a result, he cannot unlock more than that many troops to send reinforcements to the North. The Russian contractors themselves are in difficulty, despite the proclamations: they have limited forces and no longer receive aid from Moscow. Therefore, they must ration the available resources well and the priorities remain the protection of the coup leaders, as well as the mines.