Gunmen attacked several locations in Mali’s capital and other cities early Saturday in what residents and authorities described as a possible coordinated assault, with gunfire reported near Modibo Keïta International Airport, the air base beside it, and the main military base in Kati. The violence landed first on ordinary people trying to sleep, while the armed institutions of the state scrambled to explain what was happening around their own compounds.
Who Felt It First
An Associated Press journalist in Bamako heard sustained heavy weapons and automatic rifle gunfire coming from Modibo Keïta International Airport, around 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the city center, and saw a helicopter over nearby neighborhoods. A resident living near the airport also reported gunfire and three helicopters patrolling overhead. 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 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.
Residents in other cities in Mali reported gunfire and blasts on Saturday morning, suggesting a possible coordinated attack by armed groups. In Kati, a town near Bamako that is home to Mali’s main military base, a resident said he was woken up early in the morning by the sounds of gunfire and explosions. Gen. Assimi Goita, the leader of Mali’s military junta, resides in Kati.
The State’s Barracks Under Fire
Gunmen entered the northeastern city of Kidal, taking control of some neighborhoods 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. 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, another northeastern city. The AP could not independently verify his claim.
The airport in Bamako is adjacent to an air base used by Mali’s air force, and the resident in Gao said the gunfire came from the army camp and the airport, which are right next to each other. Mali’s army said in a statement that “unidentified armed terrorist groups targeted certain locations and barracks in the capital.” It added that soldiers were “currently engaged in eliminating the attackers.”
What the Authorities Say, and What They Don’t Control
The U.S. Embassy in Bamako issued a security alert, saying “there have been reports of explosions and gunfire near Kati and the Modibo Keita International Airport in Bamako” and that “U.S. citizens should shelter in place and avoid travel to these destinations until further information becomes available.” That warning, like the army statement, describes a city where armed power is concentrated in bases, barracks, airports, and the hands of men in uniform — and where everyone else is told to stay inside and wait.
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. 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.
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. That was the second year of conflict referenced in the base article. Mali, alongside neighboring 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 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. The people living near airports, army camps, and military bases are left to absorb the blast radius of decisions made by juntas, armed groups, and foreign patrons, while the machinery of control keeps grinding on.