Explosions and sustained gunfire have been reported in Mali’s capital, Bamako, as armed groups launch apparently co-ordinated attacks across the country.
The military said in a statement on Saturday that “fighting is ongoing”, adding “our defence and security forces are currently engaged in repelling the attackers”.
Witnesses have told news agency Reuters of explosions and gunfire around Kati, home to a major military base outside the capital. Soldiers have been deployed to block off roads in the area.
There are also reports of attacks in Gao and Kidal in the north, and Sevare in central Mali, in what one analyst described as the largest jihadist attack in years.
Mali has for years been plagued by jihadist insurgencies by groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as a separatist movement in the country’s north.
Reports suggest the assault by the separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) – which seeks a breakaway ethnic Tuareg state – was primarily focused on northern cities, while the jihadist group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) had staged simultaneous attacks on multiple locations across the country.
Mali’s military said it was fighting unidentified “terrorist groups” and the situation was under control, but unconfirmed reports suggest fighting continues.
While some residents describe calm in most parts of the capital, there are ongoing reports of gunfire in some areas. Checkpoints have been established on roads leading to the airport and vehicles are being searched, according to reports.
One resident, who was travelling back to Bamako from Ethiopia, told the BBC all flights into the city had been cancelled early on Saturday. It is not yet clear whether the reported attacks have affected the airport.
The UK Foreign Office has advised against all travel to Mali following the attacks, adding Bamako International Airport had been temporarily closed.
Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Mali, told the BBC the incident appeared to be the “largest co-ordinated jihadist attack on Mali for years.
BBC
