Gunmen stage simultaneous attacks in and outside Mali capital, army says | CBC News

Insurgents launched attacks in Mali’s capital of Bamako and other locations across the country on Saturday, with the army urging people to remain calm as the military-led government faced one of the biggest operations yet in a long campaign against it.

A UN security note said there had been “simultaneous complex attacks” in Kati, near Bamako’s airport and in cities and towns further north including Mopti, Gao and Kidal, while the U.S. Embassy in Mali urged its citizens to shelter in place.

There was similar unrest at around the same time in the central town of Sevare and the town of Kidal and city of Gao in northern Mali.

“There’s gunfire everywhere,” a witness in Sevare said. Two other witnesses said Defence Minister Sadio Camara’s house in Kati was hit and destroyed.

Mali is battling insurgencies by the West Africa affiliates of al-Qaeda and ISIS. It is also grappling with a much longer history of Tuareg-led rebellion in the north.

No immediate claim of responsibility

Mali’s army said shortly after 11 a.m. local time that the situation was under control but “sweeping operations” were ongoing. It was unclear if that applied to the whole country.

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Mali has been battling armed groups since 2012, with violence escalating over the past decade and forcing millions to leave their homes. Freelance journalist Caitlin Kelly spoke to some of the refugees who fled to neighbouring Mauritania.

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

But four security sources told Reuters the group was involved and appeared to have co-ordinated with the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg-dominated rebel alliance that claimed responsibility for operations in Gao and Kidal.

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.

Reuters could not independently verify his claims.

Mali’s military leaders took power after coups in 2020 and 2021, vowing to restore security, but militants continue to stage frequent attacks on the army and civilians.

‘Biggest co-ordinated attack for years’

Saturday’s attacks signal a potential escalation in the insurgency, which began in 2012 when Tuareg separatists and al-Qaeda-linked fighters seized large swathes of northern Mali.

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

While the assault on Bamako might be repelled, losses in the north of Mali, including Kidal, were “a realistic possibility,” said Benedict Manzin, lead Middle East and Africa analyst at strategic risk consultancy Sibylline.

“A major test for the regime today,” said Manzin.

Gunfire heard near airport, resident says

Gunfire could also be heard early on Saturday near a military camp close to Bamako’s airport that houses Russian mercenary forces, a resident said.

“We hear gunfire towards the military camp. It’s not the airport itself, but the camp that secures the airport,” said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.

The government led by Assimi Goita has leaned on Russian mercenaries for security support while initially spurning defence co-operation with Western countries.

Recently it has pursued closer ties with the U.S.

Reuters reported in March that Mali and the U.S. were nearing a deal that would allow Washington to resume flying aircraft and drones over the West African country’s airspace to gather intelligence on jihadist groups.