Armed groups launched one of the most expansive coordinated attacks Mali has seen in years on Saturday, striking the capital and at least three other cities simultaneously in an offensive that targeted government buildings, military installations and a major international airport.
Heavy gunfire and explosions were reported near Modibo Keïta International Airport in Bamako, roughly 15 kilometers from the city center, forcing the cancellation of all incoming and outgoing flights. Similar reports came in from Sevare, Kidal and the northern city of Gao, where witnesses described sustained automatic rifle fire and explosions rattling doors and windows. Helicopters were observed patrolling over the capital.
The Malian army confirmed its forces were actively engaged in repelling the attackers. Russian-backed Africa Corps mercenaries, formerly known as the Wagner Group, were reported fighting alongside Malian troops in several locations including Bamako.
Who carried out the attacks
Videos circulating on social media pointed to fighters linked to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, known as JNIM, an al-Qaeda-affiliated group that has operated across Mali and the broader Sahel for years. Tuareg rebels from the Azawad Liberation Front also claimed involvement, with a spokesperson for that group saying fighters had seized control of multiple areas in Kidal and Gao. Those claims could not be independently verified.
The two groups represent distinct but overlapping threats. JNIM is rooted in jihadist ideology and has carried out attacks across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The Azawad separatists have long sought an independent state in northern Mali, previously driving security forces from the region before a 2015 peace deal that has since collapsed entirely.
The U.S. Embassy and the civilian toll
The U.S. Embassy in Bamako issued an alert urging American citizens to shelter in place and avoid all travel until further notice. Residents across affected cities described the attacks as terrifying, with some saying they were jolted awake by explosions before dawn.
In Kidal, gunmen reportedly moved through several neighborhoods, triggering prolonged exchanges of fire with the army. The scale and simultaneity of the assault suggested a level of planning and coordination beyond previous incidents.
How Mali got here
The attacks arrive after years of compounding security failures. In August 2020, military officers led by Gen. Assimi Goïta seized power in a coup, forming a junta that promised to restore stability. The government that followed expelled France, the former colonial power, and shut down the United Nations peacekeeping mission known as MINUSMA, which completed its withdrawal in 2023 after a decade in the country.
In place of those partnerships, Mali’s junta turned to Africa Corps, whose personnel have been accused by the UN of fostering a climate of terror and operating with near-total impunity. The security situation has continued to deteriorate despite their presence. Last year, Bamako endured a prolonged fuel blockade after militant groups attacked key supply routes into the capital.
A region at the center of the global terrorism crisis
Mali sits within a broader regional bloc alongside Burkina Faso and Niger, all three governed by military juntas that came to power through coups, all former French colonies, and all now distanced from the Economic Community of West African States. Each faces persistent jihadist insurgencies with no resolution in sight.
The Sahel as a whole accounted for more than half of all terrorism-related deaths globally in 2025, according to this year’s Global Terrorism Index, which identified the region as the world’s foremost epicenter of terrorist activity. Saturday’s assault on Mali is the latest and most dramatic indicator of how far the security situation has slipped since the junta took power with promises to reverse it.
