Armed groups, including jihadists, launch widespread attacks on Mali government: NPR

LAGOS, Nigeria – In Mali, West Africa, military groups including Islamic militants have launched one of the largest coordinated attacks seen in recent years, targeting several cities across the country.

Heavy gunfire and explosions were reported around government buildings and major military installations, indicating a highly organized attack.

The attacks have hit the capital Bamako as well as at least three other locations. In Bamako, sustained gunfire and explosions were heard near the main airport, leading to the cancellation of incoming and outgoing flights. Similar incidents were reported in Sèvres, Kidal and the northern city of Gao.

US Embassy in Mali has urged US citizens to shelter in place and avoid all travel.

While the Mali government says fighting is ongoing, officials claim the situation is under control and its security forces are “currently engaged in expelling the attackers.” Reports indicate that Russian-backed Afrika Korps mercenaries are fighting alongside the Malian army in several locations, including the capital.

Videos circulated on social media showed that the attacks were carried out by militants belonging to the al-Qaeda-linked group Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen (JNIM) in collaboration with Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).

Mohamed Elmouloud Ramadan, a spokesman for the independent rebels, claimed the fighters had captured several areas and warned neighboring Sahel countries against intervening.

Mali has faced increasing instability in recent years, with al-Qaeda-linked groups including JNIM and other groups linked to the Islamic State group operating across the country, as well as a long-running Tuareg-led separatist insurgency in the north.

In 2020, a military junta led by General Assimi Goita seized power, promising to improve security. The government later broke ties with former colonial power France and expelled the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), which is due to complete its withdrawal in 2023, ending its decade-long presence in the country.

Mali’s junta has since turned to Russian-backed mercenaries from the Wagner Group, now known as Africa Corps, to address the country’s worsening insecurity – forces the United Nations and others have accused of “waging war”.An atmosphere of terror and complete impunity.“

But insecurity has become worse. Last year, Mali’s capital faced a prolonged fuel blockade following attacks by the same terrorist groups on key supply routes.

as per this year global terrorism indexThe Sahel region remains the epicenter of terrorist activity worldwide and is expected to account for more than half of all terrorism-related deaths in 2025, underscoring the scale of the crisis.

The country remains part of a broader regional grouping with Burkina Faso and Niger. All three are led by military juntas that came to power through coups. The countries, former French colonies and once close Western partners, have since distanced themselves from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and face a persistent jihadist insurgency.