BREAKINGBREAKING, Capital Bamako and several other locations hit in an apparently coordinated assault involving multiple groups.Published On 25 Apr 202625 Apr 2026Gunmen have attacked Mali’s capital Bamako and several locations across the country, the army says, in an apparently coordinated assault involving multiple groups.The army on Saturday morning said it was fighting “terrorist groups” that had attacked army barracks in Bamako and other areas in the military-ruled nation.Two loud explosions and sustained gunfire were heard shortly before 6am (06:00 GMT) near Mali’s main military base Kati outside Bamako, the home of military ruler General Assimi Goita.There was similar unrest at around the same time in the central town of Sevare and the town of Kidal and city of Gao in northern Mali.“There’s gunfire everywhere,” a witness told the Reuters news agency.An Associated Press journalist in Bamako reported the use of heavy weaponry and automatic rifle gunfire near Modibo Keita International Airport, located around 15km (9 miles) from the city centre. A helicopter patrolled nearby neighborhoods.Mali, rich in gold and other valuable minerals, has been dealing with more than a decade of armed unrest. It has seen attacks by the West Africa affiliates of al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). It is also grappling with a much longer history of Tuareg-led rebellion in the north.Following two military coups in 2020 and 2021, Bamako cut ties with its former colonial ruler, France, expelled French forces and the United Nations peacekeeping missions.In July last y …
