A French army spokesperson has confirmed that Oumeya Ould Albakaye, a senior figure of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS) was captured by the French Barkhane force between June 11 and 12, 2022.

An explosives expert, Albakaye was a regional chief in the group, commanding the areas of Gourma in Mali and Oudalan in neighbouring Burkina Faso. A security source told AFP that Albakaye was once been a potential successor to former IS-GS leader Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, who was gunned down by French forces in August 2021.

Relations between Mali and France deteriorated after the military junta seized power in Bamako in August 2020. The junta has resisted setting an early date to restore civilian rule, and instead tightened ties with Russia. Russian “military instructors” are viewed by France and its allies as mercenaries hired from the pro-Kremlin Wagner group.