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Armed Groups Launch Coordinated Attacks on Military Sites in Mali
Gunmen targeted military positions in Mali's capital Bamako and several other cities in an apparently coordinated assault early Saturday. The army reported engaging unidentified terrorist groups, with residents hearing gunfire and explosions near airports and bases. The attacks involve jihadist militants and separatist forces, amid ongoing insurgencies in the region.
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Gunmen launched attacks on multiple military sites across Mali early Saturday, including in the capital Bamako and northeastern cities like Kidal and Gao. The Malian army stated that unidentified armed terrorist groups targeted barracks and other locations in the capital and interior regions.
Soldiers were actively engaged in eliminating the attackers, according to an army statement. Residents in Bamako reported sustained heavy weapons fire and automatic rifle gunfire near Modibo Keïta International Airport, about 15 kilometers from the city center.
A helicopter was seen over nearby neighborhoods, and a resident near the airport described hearing gunfire with three helicopters patrolling overhead. The airport is adjacent to a Mali air force base.
the northeastern city of Kidal, gunmen entered and took control of some neighborhoods, leading to exchanges of gunfire with the army, a former mayor said on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns. Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front, stated on Facebook that its forces had taken control of several areas in Kidal and Gao.
This claim could not be independently verified. A resident in Gao reported gunfire and explosions starting early Saturday, continuing into the late morning, with blasts shaking doors and windows. The resident, speaking anonymously for safety reasons, said the sounds came from an army camp and adjacent airport.
The Azawad separatist movement seeks to establish the state of Azawad in northern Mali and previously drove security forces from the region before a 2015 peace deal that later collapsed. Some ex-rebels were integrated into the Malian military under that agreement.
In 2024, an al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility for an attack on Bamako's airport and a military training camp in the capital, resulting in scores of deaths. The current attacks suggest possible coordination among armed groups, with residents in multiple cities reporting simultaneous gunfire and blasts.
