The Malian army has announced the confiscation of 20 inflatable vehicles believed to be destined for armed groups operating within the country. Footage released by the military shows blow up replicas resembling Land Cruisers a model widely used across Africa.
State television reports suggest that these mock vehicles were intended as drone decoys, designed to lure drones into wasting costly missiles. Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel specialist with Morocco’s Policy Center for the New South, explained that such decoys offer a cost effective tactic. “They cost around $1,300, which is cheap compared to the price of real vehicles or the potential casualties from drone strikes,” he noted.
Lyammouri added that this method is a strategic way for militants in Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso to hamper drone effectiveness. While the Malian army confirmed the seizure, it declined to reveal the date or location, citing an ongoing investigation.
Experts suspect the involvement of groups like JNIM an al-Qaeda affiliate and the FLA, a Tuareg separatist movement. An FLA representative said that their forces have been using inflatable decoys in Mali’s Kidal region since last November, claiming several have already been targeted by army drones.
