Malian army battles terrorist groups as gunfire erupts in Mali

Mali’s army said it was fighting off attacks by “terrorist groups” after coordinated assaults struck parts of the west African country, where more than a decade of jihadist violence has battered security and shaken daily life.

Witnesses described clashes in the capital, Bamako, as well as in other major urban centres in the landlocked nation, where the military took power in successive coups in 2020 and 2021.

In a statement, the army said: “Terrorist groups, not yet identified, early this morning targeted certain points and barracks in the capital and the interior.”

No group immediately said it was behind the attacks. But jihadists had already attempted last year to paralyse the capital by disrupting its fuel supply.

Residents also reported heavy gunfire in Kati, on the outskirts of Bamako, home to military ruler General Assimi Goita’s residence.

People in Kati shared images on social media showing damage to their homes. “We are holed up in Kati,” one resident told AFP.

Helicopters circled above Bamako, particularly near the international airport.

An AFP correspondent said the capital’s streets had emptied out as sporadic gunfire echoed across the city.

Mali is rich in natural resources, including gold and other valuable minerals. But since 2012, it has grappling with a security crisis over attacks by jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group and community-based criminal groups and separatists.

The military authorities, like the juntas in neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, have cut ties with former colonial power France and several Western countries while drawing closer to Russia politically and militarily.

The government has also faced criticism for tightening restrictions on the media and suppressing opposition voices. Goita’s administration has banned political parties.

The junta had promised to return power to civilians by March 2024, but in July 2025 it gave Goita a five-year presidential term, renewable “as many times as necessary” and without an election.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to establish contacts with the three juntas, however, while Togo has sought to act as an intermediary between Western nations and the three countries, which have formed their own Alliance of Sahel States.

Since the jihadist crisis began, thousands have been killed in attacks across Mali, and tens of thousands more have fled in recent years to neighbouring countries, including Mauritania.

Russia’s Wagner Group, which had fought alongside Malian forces against jihadists since 2021, announced in June 2025 that its mission was over, and has become the Africa Corps, an organisation under the direct control of the Russian defence ministry.

Since September, jihadists from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, an Al-Qaeda affiliate known by its Arab acronym JNIM, have targeted fuel tanker convoys, at one point bringing Bamako to a halt during the height of the crisis in October.

Even after several quieter months, residents of Bamako were hit by a diesel shortage in March, with fuel supplies prioritised for the energy sectoring.