An al-Qaeda-linked group said on Saturday that its fighters had joined forces with Tuareg rebels to launch attacks against the army across junta-ruled Mali.
Helicopters buzzed over Bamako and around the international airport, and fighting was reported at a nearby military base in what was one of the most complex attacks in years in the impoverished west African country.
Since 2012 Mali has grappled with a security crisis over attacks by Muslim militants, as well as criminal groups and separatists.
Photo: Reuters
The junta that seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021 said it was doing so to battle the jihadists more effectively, but attacks have continued.
Thousands of people have died since the jihadist turmoil erupted, with tens of thousands seeking refuge in neighboring countries.
On Saturday, the army said it was battling what it called “terrorist groups” that had launched surprise dawn attacks around the capital Bamako and other regions.
Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) coalition said they had seized the northern city of Kidal. Saturday’s statement from the militant Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) said the day’s attacks were a joint operation with the Tuareg FLA.
“Together, we are carrying out a veritable transformation, in the service of religion, of the country and of the people,” it added.
Its forces had attacked the homes of junta leader General Assimi Goita and Malian Minister of Defense Sadio Camara, Bamako international airport and other targets, JNIM said.
Witnesses reported intense fighting in Kati, a town near the capital where Goita lives, and other key cities. Video footage posted online showed armed militants moving through the town’s streets.
Analysts confirmed the scale of the attacks, which they said had targeted the Malian army and the Africa Corps, the Russian military unit backing them.
“We’re looking at a major coordinated offensive across the country on a level unseen since 2012 when the government lost half the country,” Aldebaran Threat Consultants analyst Charlie Werb said.
A Malian army statement said: “Terrorist groups ... early this morning targeted certain points and barracks in the capital and the interior.”
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimated about 250 fighters attacked Bamako’s airport and the nearby military base, saying the attack was repelled.
“The Russian side expresses deep concern over the unfolding events,” the ministry wrote on Telegram.
The fighting, which started at dawn, continued through Saturday afternoon on the outskirts of Bamako and in several other cities, particularly Kidal.
African Union chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf denounced the violence, which risks “exposing civilian populations to significant harm.”
The attacks left 16 civilians and soldiers injured, and caused “limited material damage,” the junta said in a statement, adding that “the situation is fully under control in all the localities” targeted.
Fighting was reported around Bamako, at Gao and Kidal in the north, and in the central city of Sevare.
One resident said militants had taken a military camp in the Samakebougou neighborhood of Kati and that there was “heavy” fighting.
The junta chief’s whereabouts were unknown.
There was also intense speculation over Camara after residents said a powerful blast had destroyed most of his home in Kati. Camara’s entourage insisted he was “safe.”
The capital’s streets were deserted amid sporadic firing.
The Tuareg FLA said in a Facebook statement that “Kidal has come under the control of our armed forces.”
FLA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane said that “our FLA troops control Kidal, most of Kidal.”
“The governor of Kidal has taken refuge with his men in the former camp of MINUSMA [UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali],” he added.
The JNIM also claimed the capture of Kidal, together with the FLA.
“The chances of recapturing towns like Kidal and Gao without military air support are very low,” said Hazret Kargin, Africa specialist at intelligence firm Mintel World.
Russia’s so-called Africa Corps, an organization under direct control of the Russian Ministry of Defense, has taken over from the mercenary Wagner group in helping Malian forces fight militants.
Mali has resources including gold and other valuable minerals. Mali’s rulers, like their military counterparts in neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, have severed ties with former colonial ruler France and several Western countries, moving closer to Russia.
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