[3] Between June and August 2020, the French Armed Forces of Operation Barkhane erected a bastion fort in Labbézanga in a Vauban style.

[4] Labbézanga is deep in territory controlled by the jihadist groups Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) and the Islamic State – Sahil Province (ISSP).

[6] The Malian military camp has been the target of many jihadist attacks, including one in July 2023 that injured a civilian.

Around this same time, the Malian Army began cooperating with the Russian Wagner Group after the junta kicked the French of Operation Barkhane out a year prior.

The attack in Menaka targeted the pro-government Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) and GATIA militias, and briefly ended after an hour of fighting.