During the initial Tuareg rebellion of 2012 that began the Mali War, Kidal was a flashpoint of conflict between the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), the Malian government, and jihadist groups.

[5] At the start of 2023, tensions had intensified between the Malian junta that took power in 2021 and the allied Wagner Group mercenaries against the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security, and Development (CSP-PSD), a coalition between the CMA and Platform.

Malian and Wagner forces attacked the town of Ber in August 2023, the first major clashes between the two groups since the signing of the Algiers Accords in 2015.

They captured Anefis on October 7, and Malian officials announced their intent to recapture the MINUSMA camps in Tessalit, Aguelhok, and Kidal that same day.

[12] Medical sources speaking to RFI stated ten people were killed including several children, a teacher, a member of the Kidal Interim Authority, a business manager, and a community leader.

That same day, CSP-PSD fighters cut phone lines to Kidal, preventing saboteurs communicating rebel positions to the Malian army.

[18] The Malian Army flanked the rebels from the south on November 13, reported that they arrived fifteen kilometers from Kidal and claimed to have foiled a series of small ambushes and attacks along the way.

[10] The Wagner Group, which for years had denied its existence in Africa and had remained discreet, openly displayed its presence in Kidal after its capture.

[24] On November 22, GATIA founder and longtime Malian government ally El Hadj Ag Gamou was installed as governor of Kidal Region.