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Mali’s capital, Bamako, Tuesday woke to the sounds of gunfire and chaos as armed militants launched a coordinated assault on key military locations.
The Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, swiftly claimed responsibility. The attack marked an end to the city’s long-standing break from the Islamist insurgency that has gripped the nation.
The attack targeted a military training school and other sensitive sites across the city, including Bamako’s military airport. According to JNIM, their “special operation” inflicted heavy damage, though independent verification of these claims remains elusive. It was a brazen move—Bamako, a city that had largely avoided the jihadist violence ravaging northern and central Mali, was now forced to reckon with an insurgency that had long seemed distant.
Authorities confirmed that terrorists had attacked multiple locations. The Malian military issued a statement by mid-morning, saying that the situation was “under control,” while urging residents to continue with their daily routines. However, this assurance seemed at odds with reports of continued gunfire later in the day, especially near a police station close to the civilian airport. AFP news agency detailed “heavy exchanges of fire” during these afternoon skirmishes.
Eyewitness accounts and footage broadcast by Malian state TV added to the confusion. Clips showed around 20 blindfolded men in custody, wrists bound, while the bodies of three militants lay motionless nearby. “The terrorists have been neutralized, and the sweep is ongoing,” declared army chief-of-staff Oumar Diarra on national television, though the exact scale of the threat remained unclear.
For years, Bamako has been viewed as a relative sanctuary amid the turmoil in the Sahel. While northern Mali became a hotspot for jihadist activity over the last decade, Bamako had managed to remain insulated. This attack shattered that sense of security, signaling that the capital is no longer immune from the broader conflict that has ensnared the country.
JNIM has been one of the most active militant organizations in the Sahel. The group has carried out numerous deadly attacks across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, aiming to destabilize governments and sow fear in both rural and urban centers.
As the dust settled, unverified reports from JNIM claimed that they had seized control of Bamako’s military airport. Social media was flooded with images and videos showing smoke rising from parts of the city, and eyewitnesses described hearing gunfire in multiple areas. Some residents, heading to morning prayers, were forced to turn back as the violence erupted.
In the aftermath, the government has remained silent about specific casualties. Bamako’s Modibo Keita International Airport was shut down as a precaution. The international community, including the United Nations, advised their staff in the city to restrict movement.
Mali’s ruling military junta took power in a 2021 coup, and had justified its seizure of authority by accusing the previous government of failing to contain the insurgency. Since then, the junta expelled French troops, withdrew from cooperation with UN peacekeepers, and instead brought in Russia’s Wagner Group to bolster their counter-insurgency efforts. However, this latest attack demonstrates that the jihadist threat is far from contained, and perhaps growing bolder.
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