Gunmen opened fire early Saturday in Kati — the town that houses Mali's junta leader — as explosions rippled through Bamako and three northern cities, targeting military facilities and neighborhoods. Mali's army said unidentified armed groups attacked locations and barracks in Bamako, and residents reported fighting near Modibo Keïta International Airport and in Kidal, Gao and Kati. The U.S. Embassy in Bamako issued a security alert advising U.S. citizens to shelter in place and avoid travel to Kati and the airport.

Attackers struck multiple locations Residents and Mali's military described heavy weapons fire and repeated blasts across several urban centers in the early hours of Saturday. In Bamako, witnesses heard sustained automatic-rifle fire and explosions from the direction of Modibo Keïta International Airport, which sits next to a Malian air base, and helicopters were seen and heard over nearby neighborhoods. Kati, a town near the capital that hosts Mali's main military base and where Gen. Assimi Goita lives, also reported early-morning shooting and blasts. In the northeast, armed men entered and seized parts of Kidal, with clashes reported between those gunmen and the army. Residents in Gao described explosions that shook doors and windows and said fighting was concentrated around the airport and the army camp just outside the city. People who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals described panic, disruption and an uncertain security situation that lasted through the morning. Mali's army issued a statement saying "unidentified armed terrorist groups targeted certain locations and barracks in the capital," and that soldiers were engaged in operations to eliminate the attackers. The statement did not name a responsible group. The military's public alert was the main official confirmation of the assault while events were still unfolding. Claims and the wider security picture Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, identified as a spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front, posted on Facebook that his forces had taken control of several areas of Kidal and Gao. That claim was reported by journalists and shared on social platforms during the morning of the attacks. Mali has been battling a mix of Islamist insurgencies and separatist movements for years. Groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate in parts of the country and the region, and a long-running push for an independent Azawad state in the north has produced periodic outbreaks of violence. A 2015 peace agreement created a framework intended to integrate some former rebels into state institutions, but the deal has since faltered and armed actors remain active across wide swaths of territory. Immediate effects on civilians and foreign staff - Civilians in affected towns reported being woken by gunfire and explosions, with people describing shaking homes and limited ability to move while fighting continued. - Health and emergency services in the cities under attack likely faced sudden demand for first response, and transport links near military and air facilities were disrupted by combat operations and security cordons. - The U.S. Embassy in Bamako issued a security alert telling U.S. citizens to shelter in place and to avoid travel to Kati and Modibo Keïta International Airport until more information was available, signaling higher risk for embassy staff, foreign nationals and international organizations. Political stakes for Mali's junta The attacks come as Mali remains under military rule. Gen. Assimi Goita, the leader of the junta, resides in Kati, and the town's proximity to the capital means any fighting there has political as well as military significance.

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The U.S. Embassy in Bamako told U.S. citizens to shelter in place and avoid travel to Kati and Modibo Keïta International Airport, while Mali's army said troops were conducting operations to eliminate the attackers.

This article was created with AI assistance.