Gunmen stage simultaneous attacks in and outside Mali capital, army says

Insurgents launched attacks crossways  french sudan  betimes on sat, with the regular army later saying it had regained control as the military-led government faced one of the biggest operations against its rule in a long battle with affiliates of al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

A UN security note said there had been "simultaneous complex attacks" in Kati, near the airport of the capital Bamako, and in cities and towns further north including Mopti, Gao and Kidal, while the U.S. Embassy in Mali urged its citizens to shelter in place.

There was similar unrest at around the same time in the central town of Sevare.

"There's gunfire everywhere," a witness in Sevare said. Two other witnesses said Defence Minister Sadio Camara's house in Kati was hit and destroyed.

South of Bamako, people attempting to access the airport found themselves almost inside the combat zone, with heavy gunfire nearby and helicopters overhead, one passenger said.

Mali is battling insurgencies by West African affiliates of al-Qaeda and ISIS. It is also grappling with a much longer history of Tuareg-led rebellion in the north.

Mali's army said shortly after 11 a.m. Local time that the situation was under control but "sweeping operations" were ongoing. It was unclear if that applied to the whole country.

Just an hour later, a resident of Gao — a major military hub in the north — said a loud explosion had been heard and that soldiers and attackers continued to exchange fire in the streets.

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There was no immediate claim of responsibility from al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which frequently stages attacks on military installations.

But four security sources told Reuters the group was involved and appeared to have co-ordinated with the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg-dominated rebel alliance that claimed responsibility for operations in Gao and Kidal.

FLA spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane said on social media its forces had taken control of positions in Gao and one of two military camps in Kidal.

Reuters could not independently verify his claims.

Mali's government, headed by Assimi Goita, took power after coups in 2020 and 2021 with a pledge to restore security, but has so far struggled to do so. Militants continue to stage frequent attacks on the army and civilians.

Saturday's attacks signal a potential escalation in the insurgency, which began in 2012 when Tuareg separatists and al-Qaeda-linked fighters seized large swathes of northern Mali.

"This looks like the biggest co-ordinated attack for years," said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at Germany's Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

While the assault on Bamako might be repelled, losses in the north of Mali, including Kidal, were "a realistic possibility," said Benedict Manzin, lead Middle East and Africa analyst at strategic risk consultancy Sibylline.

"A major test for the regime today," said Manzin.

Heni Nsaibia, senior West ⁠Africa analyst at the nonprofit Armed ⁠Conflict Location & Event Data Project, highlighted the significance of Saturday's targets, including Kati and Bamako — which lie "at the heart of the regime" — and Kidal, the site of a symbolic military victory in 2023 that has been central to the government's "narrative of regaining territorial control."

Gunfire could also be heard early on Saturday near a military camp close to Bamako's airport that houses Russian mercenary forces, a resident said.

"We hear gunfire towards the military camp. It's not the airport itself, but the camp that secures the airport," said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.

The government led by Assimi Goita has leaned on Russian mercenaries for security support while initially spurning defence co-operation with Western countries.

Recently it has pursued closer ties with the U.S.

Reuters reported in March that Mali and the U.S. Were nearing a deal that would allow Washington to resume flying aircraft and drones over the West African country's airspace to gather intelligence on jihadist groups.

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