On April 25, 2026, simultaneous attacks targeted military positions and urban centers in Bamako, Kati, Sévaré, Konna, Gao, and Kidal. Launched at dawn, they led to clashes in several areas before a lull was reported in the capital, while sporadic gunfire persisted in the central part of the country in the mid-afternoon.
Armed groups carried out coordinated attacks early Saturday against military installations in the Malian capital and several regions of the country. The first explosions were reported around 5 a.m., notably in Bamako and Kati, a garrison town located about fifteen kilometers from the capital. Gunfire was heard around military installations as well as near the Modibo-Keïta International Airport, whose activities were suspended during the morning. Bamako International Airport was closed during the morning, leading to the suspension of air traffic.
In Kati, explosions caused material damage in several areas, including near the residences of security officials. This locality, which houses major military infrastructure, had already been targeted on July 22, 2022, in an attack repelled by the Malian armed forces, making it the second recorded attack on this garrison town under the current transition.
Extension of attacks to the center and north
In the central part of the country, clashes were reported in Sévaré and Konna, in the Mopti region. Witnesses reported heavy gunfire in the early hours of the day. Past 10 a.m., sporadic gunfire could still be heard in some areas, and in Mopti, explosions were still reported until around 3 p.m. according to local sources.
In the north, elements of the Azawad Liberation Front released images and claimed operations in Gao and Kidal, asserting they had taken control of certain positions, without full independent confirmation immediately. Unlike these localities, the attacks recorded in Bamako, Kati, Sévaré, and Konna were not officially claimed at the time of the events.
Attribution of attacks and security response
The General Staff of the Armies mentioned the involvement of unidentified terrorist armed groups, without precise designation. In a subsequent statement, the army indicated that the situation was under control and that several assailants had been neutralized, with equipment destroyed, without providing a detailed toll. Consistent information from security and media sources suggests a possible involvement of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, without official confirmation.
The attacks of April 25 are part of a series of actions targeting military positions and urban centers in Mali. On September 17, 2024, assaults simultaneously targeted the Faladié gendarmerie school and an airbase near Bamako airport, in an operation claimed by GSIM/JNIM, leading to the temporary closure of the airport and a security mobilization in the capital.
In the early afternoon, no official source reported ongoing fighting in the capital. Security meetings involving military officials were reported in Bamako, while measures are underway to organize a response, particularly towards Gao and Kidal.
No official toll of human and material losses was immediately available. Local sources reported possible civilian casualties related to the gunfire and explosions, without a confirmed figure. Morocco, the United States, China, and the African Union condemned the attacks and expressed their support for the Malian authorities.
By its geographic extent and the simultaneity of the assaults, the operation appears to be one of the largest coordinated attacks recorded in recent years in Mali.