Gunmen attack multiple sites across Mali killing dozens

Gunmen attacked several locations in Mali's capital and other cities early on Saturday in what residents and authorities described as a possible coordinated assault. Mali's army said 'unidentified armed terrorist groups targeted certain locations and barracks in the capital' and soldiers are 'currently engaged in eliminating the attackers'. The Foreign Office advised against all travel to Mali and said a series of coordinated attacks occurred in multiple locations including Kidal, Gao, Kati, Sevare and near Bamako International Airport on 25th April, which temporarily closed. An Associated Press journalist in Bamako heard sustained heavy weapons and automatic rifle gunfire from Modibo Keita International Airport and saw a helicopter over nearby neighborhoods. A resident living near the airport reported gunfire and three helicopters patrolling overhead. Shooting was also heard near the residence of junta leader Assimi Goïta, according to witnesses and a security source to AFP. A resident of Kati said he was woken up early in the morning by the sounds of gunfire and explosions. In Gao, a resident said gunfire and explosions started in the early hours of Saturday and could still be heard in the late morning. The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert about explosions and gunfire near Kati and the airport. AFP reported heavy exchanges of fire near a police station controlling access to the civilian airport terminal in the early afternoon. The attacks have been described as the biggest jihadist attack in several years, with fighting breaking out in multiple locations across the country.

The Azawad separatist movement, which has been fighting for years to create the state of Azawad in northern Mali, added a political dimension to the attacks. Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front, said on Facebook its forces had taken control of several areas of Kidal and Gao. Gunmen entered Kidal, taking control of neighborhoods and exchanging fire with the army, according to a former mayor of Kidal. The Azawad Liberation Front claimed control of several areas in Kidal and Gao, though the extent of their control remains unclear.

In a separate major attack on September 17, 2024, the al-Qaida-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for an assault on Bamako's airport and a military training camp, killing scores of people. According to www.bbc.com, JNIM described it as a 'special operation' targeting the training centre and military airport. About 100 Malian soldiers and policemen were killed and more than 255 injured, according to Wikipedia citing sources. JNIM claimed to have fully taken the military airport and released videos showing destruction of six aircraft, including two Casa C-295 and the presidential jet. A World Food Programme aircraft was damaged on the ground. Government forces quickly quelled the attack at Faladie, but clashes at the airport lasted nine hours, according to research from three sources. JNIM stated around ten fighters took part and all were killed. Over seventy people were killed according to civilian and military sources interviewed by RFI. Malian security forces told the New York Times that 'several' officers were killed or injured. Malian state television showed footage of about 20 blindfolded prisoners. Army chief-of-staff Oumar Diarra said 'the terrorists have been neutralised' and the sweep was continuing.

Official responses to the April 25 attacks have been marked by assertions of control but limited casualty figures. Mali's army says the situation in the country is under control, but reports indicate ongoing attacks and elimination of attackers, suggesting the situation is not fully under control. The government said the situation was under control by 08:00 local time, according to a Malian military statement. However, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, according to multiple reports. Malian authorities did not release a death toll, only acknowledging 'some loss of human life.' At least twenty people were arrested in connection to the attack; one was lynched and burned by a crowd, according to research from three sources. The exact death toll from the April 25 attacks remains unknown, as does the identity of the perpetrators. Similarly, the exact death toll from the September 17 attack is unclear, with conflicting figures from different sources. The question of whether the military airport was fully taken by JNIM during the September 17 attack remains disputed: JNIM claimed to have fully taken it, but the government said the situation was under control by 08:00 local time, and the BBC could not verify JNIM's claim. The current status of the Azawad Liberation Front's control in Kidal and Gao is also uncertain.