Mali’s capital, Bamako, awoke to explosions and sustained gunfire on Saturday as armed groups launched a series of coordinated attacks across the country, marking one of the largest jihadist offensives in years. The military confirmed ongoing fighting, with defense forces engaged in repelling attackers at multiple locations, including the Kati military base just outside the capital.
Simultaneous assaults struck not only Bamako but also northern and central regions, targeting cities like Gao, Kidal, Mopti, and Sevare. In Kidal, Tuareg rebels under the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) claimed to have seized control of several positions, including the governor’s office and a military base where their flag now flies in place of Mali’s. FLA spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane also asserted dominance in Gao, urging neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger to stay out of the conflict.
Near Bamako, clashes intensified around a military camp close to the airport, which houses Russian mercenary forces supporting the Malian junta. A resident reported hearing gunfire in the vicinity, while security sources noted jihadist group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, moving south through Kati in apparent coordination with FLA fighters.
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The U.S. Embassy issued an urgent advisory for Americans to shelter in place, citing explosions near the airport, which has since been temporarily closed.
The scale of the offensive drew sharp analysis from experts. Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel Programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, described it as the most extensive coordinated jihadist attack on Mali in recent memory. Benedict Manzin, lead analyst at Sibylline, warned that while the Bamako assault might be contained, losses in northern strongholds like Kidal remain a real possibility for the junta led by Gen Assimi Goïta.
Fighting has also advanced toward Sevare Air Base, a critical hub for the Malian Air Force and Russian drone operations. Witnesses in Sevare reported pervasive gunfire, underscoring the breadth of the insurgency’s reach across Mali’s interior.
Mali’s military, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021 with promises to restore security, claimed the situation was under control by mid-morning Saturday, though sweeping operations continue. Despite leaning on Russian support and recently exploring intelligence-sharing deals with the U.S., the junta has struggled to curb an insurgency that began in 2012 with Tuareg separatists and al-Qaeda-linked militants seizing swathes of the north.
The violence has displaced millions over the past decade, with large parts of northern and eastern Mali still outside government control. Saturday’s attacks, involving both JNIM and FLA, signal a potential turning point, as the junta faces mounting pressure to hold key territories amid reports of Defense Minister Sadio Camara’s house in Kati being destroyed in the assault.
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