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World
The Malian army said armed groups launched attacks in the capital Bamako and other locations across the country on Saturday morning, in what appeared to be a coordinated attack involving several groups.
The Malian army said armed groups launched attacks in the capital Bamako and other locations across the country on Saturday morning, in what appeared to be a coordinated attack involving several groups.
A Reuters witness said he heard the sound of two powerful explosions and sustained gunfire shortly before 0600 GMT near the main Kati military base outside the capital Bamako, and that soldiers deployed to close roads in the area.
The city of Sevare in the center of the country, the town of Kidal, and the city of Gao in the north witnessed similar disturbances at roughly the same time. A witness from Sevare said: "Gunfire can be heard everywhere."
Mali faces waves of insurgency from groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in West Africa, in addition to a long-standing insurgency led by Tuareg groups in the north.
The army said in a statement that unidentified "terrorist" groups attacked several sites in the capital and other areas of the country without specifying their locations. The army added in the statement that clashes are still ongoing and urged residents to remain calm.
Mali's military leaders took power after two coups in 2020 and 2021 and pledged to restore security in a country where armed groups control vast areas in the north and center and launch frequent attacks targeting the army and civilians.
Mohamed Maouloud Ramadan, spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front — a Tuareg-led rebel alliance — said through social media that the front's forces had taken control of several locations in Kidal and Gao. Reuters could not independently verify what the spokesperson said.
Four security sources said that the JNIM group affiliated with al-Qaeda in the region also participated in the day's attacks.
Neither JNIM, which launches occasional attacks on military facilities across vast areas of Mali, nor the Islamic State-Sahel Province claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Neither a government spokesperson nor a Mali army spokesperson responded to requests for comment.
One resident said gunfire could be heard in the early hours of the morning near a military camp close to Bamako airport that houses Russian military contractors.
The resident, who requested anonymity for security reasons, added: "We hear gunfire towards the camp... not the airport itself, but the camp that secures the airport."
The government led by Assimi Goita relies on Russian military contractors for security support, while it initially pushed for defense cooperation with Western countries.
It has recently sought to strengthen ties with the United States.
Reuters reported in March that Mali and the United States were close to reaching an agreement allowing Washington to resume flying aircraft and drones over the African country's airspace to gather intelligence about extremist groups.
