Mali Hit by Coordinated Attacks; Kidal Falls to Rebels

Mali's military junta faced a coordinated nationwide assault on Saturday as armed groups struck the capital Bamako, hit the defense minister's home and reportedly seized the northern stronghold of Kidal. Two loud explosions and sustained gunfire were heard shortly before 6 a.m. local time near the Kati military base, where junta leader General Assimi Goita has his residence.

Bamako and Kati Under Fire

According to Al Jazeera, NPR, France 24 and CBS News, Defence Minister General Sadio Camara's house in Kati was hit and largely destroyed. His entourage said he was "not present at the time and is safe." Goita's whereabouts were not immediately known.

Sustained gunfire and explosions near Modibo Keita International Airport, about 15 kilometers from Bamako, forced the cancellation of all incoming and outgoing flights, and the airport was shut. The U.S. embassy in Mali advised its citizens to shelter in place.

Kidal and Coordination

Simultaneous coordinated attacks were reported in Sevare in central Mali, Mopti, Gao and Kidal in the north. Four security sources told Reuters that al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) had carried out attacks and appeared to coordinate with the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).

FLA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane told AFP that "our FLA troops control Kidal, most of Kidal. The governor of Kidal has taken refuge with his men in the former camp of MINUSMA." Mali's army had retaken Kidal with the help of Wagner mercenaries in 2023.

Government Response

The Mali army said in a statement that "the situation is under control" and that "several terrorists have been neutralised." Russian-backed Africa Corps personnel were reportedly fighting alongside Malian forces in Bamako, according to The Africa Report.

An Al Jazeera analyst said "the scale and coordination of the attacks appear to be unprecedented," with observers describing the assault as the most complex since the junta took power. The events mark a major reversal for Goita's government in the Sahel insurgency.