Militants staged attacks in Mali’s capital Bamako and in several locations in the interior of the country this Saturday morning, the Mali army said, in an apparently co-ordinated assault involving multiple groups.

Two loud explosions and sustained gunfire were heard near Mali’s main military base Kati outside the capital Bamako, and soldiers were deployed to block off roads in the area, a Reuters witness said.

There was similar unrest at around the same time in the central town of Sevare and the town of Kidal and city of Gao in northern Mali. “There’s gunfire everywhere,” a witness in Sevare said.

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

Mali’s army said in a statement that unidentified “terrorist” groups attacked several positions in the capital and elsewhere in the country, without specifying locations. It said fighting was ongoing and asked the population to remain calm.

Mali’s military leaders took power after coups in 2020 and 2021, vowing to restore security, but militants continue to stage frequent attacks on the army and civilians.

Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a Spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg-dominated rebel alliance, said on social media its forces had taken control of multiple positions in Kidal and Gao. Reuters could not independently verify this claim.

Four security sources said the regional al Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) was also involved in Saturday’s attacks.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from JNIM, which frequently stages attacks on military installations throughout much of Mali, or from Islamic State in the Sahel Province.

A government Spokesperson and a Spokesperson for Mali’s army did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

–Reuters–