Mali’s army said on Saturday it was fighting armed fighters who attacked its barracks in Bamako and other parts of the country.
A Russian embassy official said Africa Corps, the Kremlin-controlled successor to the Wagner mercenary group in Africa, was supporting Malian forces fighting militants outside the capital.
“Our defense and security forces are involved in neutralizing the attackers,” the chief of the general staff said on Facebook, later saying on military channel FAMa TV that the militants had attacked Bamako, the nearby town of Kati and “other towns”.
Residents reported smoke and explosions near Bamako airport around 7:30 a.m. local time.
The rebel Azawad Liberation Front separately claimed an army helicopter had been shot down in the northern city of Kidal. An army spokesman could not comment.
The attack comes as jihadist pressure on Bamako intensifies, with fuel cuts and repeated attacks on military convoys destabilizing the capital in recent months. It also coincides with renewed US diplomatic engagement with Mali.
One al-Qaida-linked group, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, is tightening its grip on the capital, raising fears of a wider escalation in the decades-long insurgency.
The violence unfolds as Mali – one of Africa’s top gold producers – emerges as a key player in lithium materials, with Chinese-backed projects including the Goulamina mine underscoring its growing strategic importance in the sector.
Security concerns persist despite the support of Russia-linked forces that have replaced French troops, highlighting a fragile backdrop where global powers including the US, China and Russia are vying for influence.
With help from Diakaridio Dembele.
This article was generated from an automated news agency source without text modification.
