Gunmen attacked several locations in Mali’s capital and other cities early Saturday in a possible coordinated assault, residents and authorities said. The Malian army stated that “unidentified armed terrorist groups” targeted certain locations and barracks in Bamako, with soldiers engaged in eliminating the attackers. Later, they reported the situation was under control.
Mali has been plagued by insurgencies fought by affiliates of al Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as a separatist rebellion in the north. An Associated Press journalist in Bamako heard sustained heavy weapons and automatic rifle gunfire coming from Modibo Keïta International Airport, around 9 miles from the city center. A resident living near the airport also reported gunfire and three helicopters patrolling overhead.
Residents in other cities in Mali reported gunfire and blasts on Saturday morning, suggesting a possible coordinated attack by armed groups. Videos on social media showed militant convoys moving through deserted streets of Kati, while residents looked on fearfully. Other videos in northern towns like Kidal and Gao showed gunfire exchanges in the streets, with dead bodies lying on the ground.
Gunmen entered Kidal, taking control of some neighborhoods and leading to exchanges of fire with the army, a former mayor of the town told the AP over the phone. Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the Tuareg-led Azawad separatist movement, said his forces had taken control of Kidal as well as some areas in Gao.
The U.S. Embassy in Bamako issued a security alert, saying there have been reports of explosions and gunfire near Kati and the Modibo Keïta International Airport in Bamako, urging U.S. citizens to shelter in place and avoid travel to these destinations until further information becomes available.
Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said the assault seems to be the largest coordinated attack in years in Mali, with JNIM apparently coordinating today’s attacks with Tuareg rebels. The security situation in Mali has worsened recently, with a record number of attacks by militants and government forces accused of killing civilians suspected of collaborating with militants.