Gunfire heard near Bamako airport and in several cities in Mali
Gunmen have attacked Mali’s capital, Bamako, and several locations across the country, says Mali’s army in an apparently coordinated assault involving multiple groups.
Two loud explosions and sustained gunfire were heard shortly before 6am near Mali’s main military base at Kati outside Bamako.
Adama Gaye, political commentator on the Sahel and West Africa, has described the ongoing attacks as “a failure of the junta”.
“The junta in Mali has not been able to control the military. The uncertainty is still prevailing, so obviously, they have not achieved stability,” he told Al Jazeera.
The attacks also “indicate that the forces they are fighting are strong enough to intervene in many areas at the same time”, he added.
As we have been reporting, fighting between the attackers and the Malian army has been reported in several areas across the country, including in Bamako, Kati, Sevare, Gao, and Kidal.