In 2023, tensions between the Malian junta led by Assimi Goïta that took charge in 2021 and Tuareg rebel groups that were signatories of the Algiers Accords in 2015 rose dramatically.

[1] The CMA released a statement deploring the deaths of two of their fighters, and accused Malian forces and the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group of perpetrating the attack.

In Ber, the evacuation of the MINUSMA camp angered local CMA fighters due to the still-present threat of Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) jihadists.

[3] The CMA published a press release claiming to have repelled the Malian and Wagner forces, and denounced a "violation of ll arrangements and security commitments.

[3] The Malian Air Force launched airstrikes against Ber, while the Burkinabe peacekeepers discreetly evacuated the MINUSMA camp three days before the deadline.

[9] Negotiations between the CMA and Malian junta had already been at a standstill prior to the battle; neither side was interested in disrupting the status quo for years.

[11] In early and mid-September, the CMA and the greater Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security, and Development (CSP-PSD) alliance launched attacks on Malian and Wagner forces at Bourem, Léré, and Taoussa.