BAMAKO: Gunmen attacked several locations in Mali's capital and other cities early Saturday in a possible coordinated assault, residents and authorities said.
Mali's army said in a statement, “unidentified armed terrorist groups targeted certain locations and barracks in the capital.” It added that soldiers were “currently engaged in eliminating the attackers.”
Mali has been plagued by insurgencies fought by affiliates of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, as well as a separatist rebellion in the north.
An Associated Press journalist in Bamako heard sustained heavy weapons and automatic rifle gunfire coming from Modibo Keïta International Airport, around 15 kilometres (9 miles) from the city centre, and saw a helicopter over nearby neighbourhoods. The airport is adjacent to an air base used by Mali's air force. A resident living near the airport also reported gunfire and three helicopters patrolling overhead.
Residents in other cities in Mali reported gunfire and blasts on Saturday morning, suggesting a possible coordinated attack by armed groups.
Gunmen entered the northeastern city of Kidal, taking control of some neighbourhoods and leading to gunfire exchanges with the army, a former mayor of Kidal told AP over the phone. He spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear for his safety.
The Azawad separatist movement has been fighting for years to create the state of Azawad in northern Mali. They once drove security forces from the region, before a 2015 peace deal that has since collapsed, paved the way for some ex-rebels to be integrated into the Malian military.
Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front, said on Facebook that its forces had taken control of several areas of Kidal and Gao, another northeastern city. The AP could not independently verify his claim.
A resident of Gao said gunfire and explosions started in the early hours of Saturday and could still be heard in the late morning.
“The force of the explosions is making the doors and windows of my house shake. I'm scared out of my wits,” the resident told AP by phone. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of concerns for his safety. The resident said the gunfire came from the army camp and the airport, which are right next to each other.
A resident of Kati, a town near Bamako that is home to Mali's main military base, also said he was woken up early in the morning by the sounds of gunfire and explosions.
In 2024, an al-Qaida-linked group claimed an attack on Bamako's airport and a military training camp in the capital, killing scores of people.
Mali, alongside neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, has long been battling armed groups affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, a fight that has escalated over the past decade.
Following military coups, the juntas in the three countries have turned from Western allies to Russia for help in combating Islamic militants.
But the security situation in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has worsened in recent times, analysts say, with a record number of attacks by militants. Government forces have also been accused of killing civilians they suspect of collaborating with militants.