Explosions, gunfire rock Mali’s capital, other cities as armed groups launch coordinated attacks

Loud explosions and sustained gunfire rocked the area near Mali’s main military base in Kati, outside the capital city of Bamako, early Saturday morning, after which soldiers were deployed to block off roads in the area. Kati is the home of military ruler General Assimi Goita. Besides, there was fighting in Gao, the largest city in northern Mali, as well as in Sevare, in central Mali. Gunfire was also heard near Mali’s international airport.

No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Mali’s army said unidentified “terrorist” groups had attacked several positions in the capital and elsewhere in the country. Later on Saturday, the army ⁠said that the situation was under control.

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Mali grappling with jihadi insurgency for over a decade

Mali has been grappling with a jihadi insurgency for over a decade, battling West African affiliates of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. It also has a much longer history of Tuareg-led rebellion in the north.

Military leaders seized power in Mali after coups in 2020 and 2021, vowing to restore security in the Sahel country where militants control large areas in the north and centre and keep attacking the army and civilians.

The military government, led by Goita, has relied on Russian mercenaries for security support while initially pursuing defence cooperation with Western countries. Recently, it has pursued closer ties with the US.

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Junta had pledged to hand over power to civilians by March 2024

The military rulers cracked down on critics and dissolved political parties. The junta had pledged to hand over power to civilians by March 2024, but in July 2025, it granted Goita a five-year presidential term that could be renewed “as many times as necessary” without holding elections.

There were “simultaneous complex attacks” in Kati, near Bamako’s airport and in cities and towns further north, including Mopti, Gao and Kidal. The US embassy in Mali urged its citizens to shelter in place.

“There’s gunfire everywhere,” said a witness in the central town of Sevare. Defence Minister Sadio Camara’s house in Kati was hit and destroyed.

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Mali is battling insurgencies by the West African affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State. It is also grappling with a much longer history of Tuareg-led rebellion in the north. The government led by Assimi Goita took power after coups in 2020 and 2021 vowing to restore security, but has struggled to do so.

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Situation under control, ‘sweeping operations’ ongoing: Mali’s army

Mali’s army said shortly after 11 am (1100 GMT) that the situation was under control and “sweeping operations” were ongoing.

There was no immediate claim from al Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which frequently stages attacks on military installations.

FLA spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane said on social media its forces had taken control ⁠of positions in Gao and one of two military camps in Kidal.

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The attacks signal an escalation in insurgency, which began in 2012 when Tuareg separatists and al Qaeda-linked fighters seized large swathes of northern Mali.

“This looks like the biggest coordinated attack for years,” said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Foundation.