(Bloomberg) — Mali’s military said Saturday it was battling coordinated gunmen attacks on an army barracks in Bamako and several locations across the country, hinting at a broader offensive targeting multiple cities.
A Russian embassy official said Africa Corps, the Kremlin-controlled successor to Wagner’s operations in Africa, was supporting Malian forces fighting militants outside the capital.
“Our defense and security forces are engaged in neutralizing the attackers,” the chief of staff said on Facebook, later confirming on FAMa television that the militants had hit Bamako and the nearby town of Kati, a junta stronghold about 15 kilometers (9 miles) west of the capital.
In separate posts on X, the US and African Union condemned the “terrorist attacks” targeting the capital and other urban centers across the country, underscoring the nationwide scope of the attack.
Residents reported smoke and explosions near Bamako airport at around 7:30 a.m. local time, while witnesses in several areas said gunfire continued and civilians remained indoors due to ongoing insecurity.
Ethiopian Airlines and regional carrier Air Burkina canceled their flights to Mali on Saturday, according to emails sent to passengers seen by Bloomberg.
The rebel Azawad Liberation Front has separately claimed control of the northern town of Kidal, although an army spokesman could not be reached for comment.
The attack comes as jihadist pressure on Bamako is intensifying, with fuel cuts and repeated attacks on convoys destabilizing the capital in recent months, along with renewed US diplomatic engagement with Mali.
One al-Qaida-linked group, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, is expanding its influence, raising fears of a wider escalation in the decade-long insurgency.
The violence is developing as Mali, a major gold producer and emerging lithium player, becomes increasingly strategically important, with Chinese-backed mining projects such as Goulamina.
The security crisis persists despite French troops replacing Russian-aligned forces, reflecting a fragile environment where global powers including the US, China and Russia are competing for influence.
–With help from Diakaridio Dembele.
(Update with US, AU response, flights to Bamako suspended.)
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