With the Sahel country struggling in the face of renewed jihadist violence, the capture of Farabougou is a symbolic development.

One of the first measures taken by the military junta which seized power in 2020 had been to end a jihadist blockade of the small town.

Fighters from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM in Arabic), which is affiliated to al-Qaeda, claimed they were behind the operation in messages published on its propaganda platform al-Zallaqa.

Local elected officials who fled the area told AFP that Farabougou was now under JNIM's control.

Last week in the area the army had to withdraw from its camp, one of the largest in the region, following the jihadist attack.

The military has not intervened locally since and authorities have not given a toll from the attack.

Farabougou, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of the capital Bamako, is of strategic importance given its central position in the Segou region.

Residents have told AFP that some have been returning home despite having to face living under jihadist rule.

"The head of the village has signed with the jihadists to say we shall respect their laws so they have said we can return," one resident told AFP by telephone, adding the army was still not in the zone.

"What can residents do? Some have nowhere else to go," said one local official.

Residents returning will have to pay a tax to the JNIM and accept its rules, notably a ban on secular music as well as on cigarettes and alcohol. Women will not be allowed to venture out without covering their heads.

Mali has since 2012 been battling a security crisis amid violence by jihadist fighters and criminal gangs.

Now in power following coups in 2020 and 2021, Mali's military junta has turned its back on Western partners -- notably former colonial power France -- while fostering closer relations with Russia.

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