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Mali’s Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) is seeking a role for Türkiye in efforts to resolve the conflict in the country’s northern region, as the separatist group also confirms direct contacts with Russia’s Africa Corps.
FLA spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane told Middle East Eye that the group wants Ankara to engage with it directly over a political settlement, pointing to Türkiye’s growing diplomatic, economic and military ties with Bamako.
Ramadane said the FLA does not want northeastern Mali, the region it seeks for an independent state known as Azawad, to become an arena for a proxy war between foreign powers.
At the same time, he argued that Türkiye’s expanding relationship with Bamako gives Ankara a potential role in efforts to reach a political settlement.
"We do not ask Türkiye to break its relations with the military junta. We ask it to look at the Malian reality in all its complexity and not to consider the question of Azawad solely through the prism of the authorities in Bamako," Ramadane said.
"We do not ask Türkiye to choose between Mali and Azawad. We ask it to contribute to ensuring that peace is not imposed on Azawad but negotiated with it," he added.
"Our essential message is this: we are not seeking foreign patrons for our cause; we are seeking partners capable of contributing to a just, lasting political solution consistent with the aspirations of the populations concerned."
A Turkish official, in response, told the outlet that Ankara is open to dialogue with a range of actors and that channels could be found if the FLA wants to engage with the Turkish government.
"However, it doesn’t mean that we will take their side and be part of the internal conflict of a foreign state," the official said. "But we would listen to them."
Ramadane also disclosed the group's direct contacts with Russia’s Africa Corps, which has taken on the role previously held by Wagner Group forces in Mali.
"I can confirm that there were direct contacts in certain contexts, notably around questions related to movements, withdrawals and the situation in certain areas," Ramadane said.
He described the communications as practical channels that can be used by opposing forces during a conflict to prevent incidents, manage specific situations or arrange temporary measures.
"In a conflict, there are sometimes channels of communication with the adversary to avoid incidents, manage certain situations or facilitate occasional arrangements," he added. "This does not mean that the political objectives of the parties have become compatible."
The contacts take place as Russia deepens its military role in Mali. Moscow deployed Wagner Group mercenaries there in 2022, before the force was reorganized under Africa Corps after Wagner’s rebellion against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In April, Africa Corps personnel withdrew from the strategic city of Kidal before the FLA seized control of the city during an offensive with JNIM.
FLA fights the Malian government alongside Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), despite their sharply different political goals. The FLA seeks an autonomous Tuareg state in northeastern Mali, known by separatists as Azawad, while JNIM aims to topple the government.
FLA and JNIM forces carried out coordinated attacks across northern and central Mali in April. A second offensive followed in July, including fighting around Anefis and attacks on military positions in Gao and Aguelhok.
Ramadane defended the battlefield coordination, arguing that operational cooperation should not be confused with a political alliance. "It is first necessary to distinguish two things that are often deliberately confused: operational convergence on the ground and political alliance," he said.
Ramadane said the cooperation reflects battlefield realities rather than a shared political program, while insisting that any lasting settlement must address Azawad’s political status.
"The FLA remains an Azawadian political and military organization whose project responds to the aspirations of the people of Azawad," he said. "That being said, lasting peace in Mali and Azawad will necessarily have to take into account the realities on the ground."
He also argued that JNIM, which he described as now composed largely of Malian nationals, cannot simply be excluded from a future settlement. "It is impossible to make peace in Mali or speak of stability without including JNIM," he said, adding that the group was beginning to develop "a political language and an agenda of local demands."
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