Gunmen attacked multiple sites in Mali’s capital and in northern cities early Saturday in what residents and officials described as a possible coordinated assault. The Malian army said unidentified armed groups struck locations and barracks in the capital and that soldiers were engaged in repelling the attackers. Mali has long contended with insurgencies linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State as well as a separatist rebellion in the north.
An Associated Press journalist in Bamako reported sustained heavy-weapons and automatic-rifle fire coming from the Modibo Keita International Airport—about 15 kilometres (9 miles) from the city center—and saw a helicopter over nearby neighborhoods. The airport adjoins an air base used by Mali’s air force. A resident near the airport also heard gunfire and said three helicopters were patrolling overhead.
Reports of gunfire and explosions from other towns on Saturday morning suggested the attacks may have been coordinated. In the northeastern city of Kidal, gunmen entered some neighborhoods and seized control of areas, prompting exchanges with the army, a former mayor of Kidal told AP on condition of anonymity. Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front, posted on Facebook that his forces had taken parts of Kidal and Gao; the Associated Press could not independently verify that claim.
A resident of Gao said gunfire and explosions began in the early hours and continued into the late morning, rattling doors and windows and frightening residents. He spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons and said the firing appeared to come from an army camp and the nearby airport. A resident of Kati, the town that hosts Mali’s main military base near Bamako, also reported being awakened by gunfire and blasts.
The strikes come after a deadly 2024 attack on Bamako’s airport and a military training camp that was claimed by a group linked to al-Qaida. Mali, along with neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, has fought militants tied to al-Qaida and Islamic State for more than a decade. Since recent coups, the juntas in those countries have moved away from Western security partners and toward Russia for assistance.
Analysts say the regional security picture has worsened, with record numbers of militant attacks in recent years and allegations that government forces have killed civilians suspected of collaborating with militants.
