Coordinated attacks hit Bamako and several Malian cities

Gunmen carried out coordinated attacks across Mali on Saturday, striking multiple sites in the capital Bamako and cities including Kati, Sévaré, Mopti, Kidal and Gao. The Malian army said “unidentified armed terrorist groups” targeted locations and barracks and that troops engaged the attackers; it later reported the situation was under control. Residents described heavy gunfire and explosions near Modibo Keïta International Airport, about 15 km from central Bamako, and saw military helicopters overhead. The U.S. Embassy in Bamako warned of gunfire and blasts near Kati and the airport and urged Americans to shelter in place.

Reports and social media footage — not independently verified — showed armed convoys and clashes in several towns. A former Kidal mayor and a spokesperson for a Tuareg-led separatist movement said gunmen entered parts of Kidal and that separatist forces claimed control of Kidal and parts of Gao. Security analysts called the strikes possibly the most significant coordinated assault in Mali in years and noted potential links between jihadist groups and Tuareg rebels amid a broader insurgency tied to al‑Qaida and Islamic State affiliates. The events come after prior 2024 attacks on Bamako’s airport and military facilities, underscoring persistent instability despite regional security partnerships, as reported by SANA