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

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.”