JNIM and Tuareg Separatists Claim Joint Attacks on Bamako Airport and Northern Mali Cities

Al-Qaida-linked militants and Tuareg separatists launched coordinated attacks on multiple locations across Mali on Saturday, targeting the capital Bamako and cities in the central and northern regions. The jihadist group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for strikes on Bamako’s international airport and four other cities in central and northern Mali via its Az-Zallaqa website.

JNIM stated the attacks were carried out jointly with the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg-led separatist group seeking a breakaway ethnic Tuareg state.

Gunfire and explosions rocked Bamako, with fighting reported at a military base near Modibo Keïta international airport, about 9 miles (15km) from the city center. Helicopters buzzed over Bamako and nearby neighborhoods, including three patrolling overhead near the airport.

An Associated Press journalist in Bamako heard sustained heavy weapons and automatic rifle gunfire from the airport, which is adjacent to an airbase used by Mali’s air force.

In Kati, a town near Bamako home to Mali’s main military base where junta leader Gen Assimi Goita resides, a resident reported being woken by gunfire and explosions. The residence of Mali’s defence minister, Sadio Camara, was heavily damaged by an explosion during the attack, according to a nearby shopkeeper who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. S.

U.S. citizens to shelter in place and avoid travel there. New fighting erupted in northern Mali's Kidal as the army clashed with Tuareg rebels, with insurgents entering the city, taking control of some neighborhoods, and leading to exchanges of fire with the army.

A former mayor of Kidal, speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear for his safety, confirmed the entry of insurgents. Videos on social media showed gunfire exchanges in the streets of Kidal and Gao, with dead bodies lying on the ground. Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the Azawad movement, stated in a Facebook post that FLA forces had taken control of Kidal as well as some areas in Gao.

Ramadane told the BBC that the group had been working on the operation for a long time in a well-planned manner and in alliance with JNIM, adding there was coordination between FLA and JNIM. An FLA field commander told the BBC the group had been preparing for the offensive for months and was attempting to block the road between Kidal and Tessalit to prevent army reinforcements, with the main goal to control Gao and then Timbuktu.

In Gao, the largest city in northern Mali, a resident reported gunfire and explosions starting in the early hours of Saturday and continuing into the late morning, with the force of the explosions making doors and windows shake.

The resident, speaking on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns, said the gunfire came from the army camp and the airport beside it. Residents of Sévaré and Mopti in central Mali reported attacks by gunmen. Witnesses reported clashes in the center and north of Mali.

Mali's army confirmed clashes with armed fighters who attacked army barracks in Bamako and other areas, stating that unidentified armed terrorist groups targeted certain locations and barracks in Bamako and that soldiers were engaged in eliminating the attackers.

Mali's military said on Saturday evening that efforts to repel the attacks were under way and some militants had already fled, adding it was fighting terrorist groups which had been routed with several hundred killed. On Sunday, gunfire resumed in Kidal, with fighting continuing between the Malian army, Russians, and rebels, as residents heard gunfire, according to a local official who spoke to AFP.

Ramadane told AFP that fighting resumed in Kidal on Sunday to drive out the last Russian fighters.

“We had been working on this operation for a long time, in a well-planned manner, and in fact, in alliance with [JNIM]. It is difficult to find any solution without their participation, and there was co-ordination." — Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesman for the FLA, to the BBC. Checkpoints were established on roads leading to the airport in Bamako, with vehicles being searched. A curfew was imposed from 21:00 to 06:00 local time for the next three nights in Mali. Bamako International Airport was temporarily closed. The UK Foreign Office advised against all travel to Mali following the attacks. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chair of the African Union Commission, stated on X that he strongly condemns the acts which risk exposing civilian populations to significant harm. UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned the acts of violence and expressed solidarity with the Malian people, calling for coordinated international support to address the evolving threat of violent extremism and terrorism in the Sahel and to meet urgent humanitarian needs, according to his spokesman. The U.S. State Department's Africa bureau strongly condemned the attacks and extended deepest condolences to the victims, their families, and all those affected, stating it stands with the Malian people and government in the face of this violence.”

“The force of the explosions is making the doors and windows of my house shake. I’m scared out of my wits." — A resident of Gao, speaking on condition of anonymity. Mali is currently ruled by a military junta led by Gen Assimi Goïta, who first seized power in a coup in 2020. Kidal served as a stronghold of the separatist rebellion before being taken by Malian government forces and Russian mercenaries in 2023. In 2024, an al-Qaida-linked group claimed an attack on Bamako’s airport and a military training camp in the capital, killing scores of people. Mali has previously faced insurgencies fought by affiliates of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, as well as a separatist rebellion in the north.”