US EditionInsurgents attack military bases across Mali, closing main airport
Residents reported gunfire and explosions in several cities as soldiers blocked roads and the army said it was engaging the attackers.
- On Saturday, April 25, 2026, unidentified armed groups launched coordinated attacks on military positions across Mali, targeting Bamako, Kati, Kidal, Gao, and Sevare with heavy gunfire and explosions.
- General Assimi Goïta's junta has struggled to contain insurgencies since seizing power in 2020 and 2021, recently shifting security reliance to Russian-backed Africa Corps mercenaries after Wagner Group ended its mission in June 2025.
- Sustained gunfire near Modibo Keïta International Airport, around 15 kilometers from Bamako's center, forced flight cancellations, while Azawad Liberation Front spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane claimed control of Kidal and Gao—claims AP and Reuters could not independently verify.
- Mali's army reported the situation under control and said several terrorists had been neutralized, despite gunfire continuing and helicopters still flying over Bamako, while the U.S. Embassy urged American citizens to shelter in place.
- Saturday's assault represents one of the largest coordinated offensives in years, reflecting a pattern from 2012 when jihadist group JNIM and Tuareg rebels together overran northern Mali, sparking the region's decade-long security crisis, analyst Ulf Laessing said.
192 Articles
192 Articles
The West African country of Mali has suffered one of its most serious security incidents in recent years. Several cities across the country have been targeted by coordinated attacks by armed groups, while explosions and prolonged gunfire have been heard in the capital, Bamako.
Al Qaeda's franchising for the Sahel, the JNIM, has announced an alliance with the Touareg FLA movement to overthrow the Government of Mali and expel Russian troops from the country. Its first actions throughout today have caused real chaos in the country, as they have come to attack the capital Bamako. They have taken the following actions: - The operation against the headquarters of the President of Mali, Assimi Gita.--We were able to complete…
The Malian Armed Forces reported that this Saturday morning the country was being attacked by “terrorist groups” advancing in an offensive between military barracks in the capital, Bamako. Hours later, searches showed armed people entering the office of the governor of Kidal, a town north of Mali. According to the EFE agency, the armed group Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), affiliated to Al Qaeda, was awarded the attack. According …
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