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Mali suffered its worst coordinated terrorist attacks since 2020, with terrorist organization JNIM members striking military sites in the capital Bamako and nearby Kati as the Tuareg rebel alliance Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) claimed to have seized control of Kidal in the north.
Fresh fighting reportedly resumed in Kidal on Sunday morning as rebels worked to expel Russian Africa Corps fighters sheltering in a camp, and the Malian army claimed to have neutralized "several hundred" attackers.
Fighting erupted early Saturday at multiple military sites simultaneously.
In Bamako, witnesses reported heavy gunfire and explosions near the Senou military camp adjacent to the international airport and in the Mamaribougou district.
The U.S. Embassy urged American citizens to shelter in place.
In Kati, the site of Mali's main military base and home to Defense Minister Sadio Camara, the minister's residence was reportedly heavily damaged or partially destroyed by a powerful explosion.
Camara was confirmed safe by his aides. Approximately 10 suspected attackers' bodies were recovered in Kati, according to resident Abdoulaye Diarra.
In the north, a Malian military helicopter was shot down near Wabaria, close to Gao.
The FLA claimed to have seized the governor's residence in Kidal and positions in Gao.
The Malian army's general staff said hundreds of terrorists had been neutralized, a large-scale combing operation was underway across Bamako, Kati and other affected localities, and the public should avoid sharing unofficial information.
The government said the situation was "totally under control" Saturday evening, reporting 16 civilians and soldiers wounded.
The Azawad Liberation Front issued a formal statement saying its forces had taken "total control" of Kidal, with only "a small residual pocket of resistance" consisting of Russian Africa Corps fighters and Malian soldiers in a former MINUSMA base.
The FLA said the operation was conducted "in partnership with JNIM," an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group, confirming a tactical convergence between the Tuareg separatists and the terrorist group, though the two do not share ideology.
The FLA described its goals as "territorial liberation and sustainable security" in the Azawad region and accused Russian forces and the Bamako government of human rights violations.
It urged Russian authorities to "reconsider their support for Mali's military leadership" and called for "urgent international mobilization."
Fresh fighting erupted in Kidal on Sunday morning. FLA spokesperson Mohamed Ramdane told Agence France-Presse (AFP): "Fighting resumed in Kidal this morning. We want to drive out the last Russian fighters who have taken refuge in a camp."
A local elected official confirmed the fighting anonymously.
By Sunday morning, Kati was calm after "terrorists left the area," but residents said they were living in fear.
The Gao region remained under a nightly curfew from 7:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., declared by Governor Gen. Moussa Traore.
Fighting broke out Sunday in Kati, near the capital Bamako, a day after rebels and terrorist groups staged synchronized attacks nationwide, residents said, according to AFP.
One resident said fighting had resumed "everywhere" in the garrison town and that the "terrorists are on a hill" above Kati. Another resident said planes were flying over the town.
Türkiye's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the attacks in a statement, expressing solidarity with Mali in its fight against terrorism and support for efforts toward lasting peace and stability in the region.
The U.S. State Department's Bureau of African Affairs said the United States "strongly condemns today's terrorist attack in Mali" and stood in solidarity with the Malian people and government.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was described as "deeply concerned" and called for "coordinated international support to address the evolving threat of violent extremism and terrorism in the Sahel."
African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf condemned the attacks and reaffirmed the bloc's commitment to peace in Mali.
Mali has faced a JNIM fuel and supply blockade in Bamako since September 2025, causing shortages.
The July 2025 national conference extended transitional president Gen. Assimi Goita's mandate until 2030 while dissolving political parties. French forces and MINUSMA departed between 2023 and 2024, leaving a vacuum filled by Russia's Africa Corps, whose results have been described as mixed.
Kidal was retaken by Malian forces and Wagner in November 2023 after more than a decade of rebel control.
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