After two days of fierce battles between the army and armed groups, calm returned on Monday to Bamako and Kati, near the capital, which witnessed the heaviest battles. Mali is witnessing a critical security situation after a series of unprecedented coordinated attacks launched on Saturday by jihadists allied with the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group for the support of Islam and Muslims, and the Tuareg rebels in the separatist Front for the Liberation of Azawad, which demands granting the region's residents the right to self-determination.

Published on: 04/27/2026 - 12:53 Last updated: 04/27/2026 - 13:06

An uneasy calm fell on Monday morning over the Malian capital, Bamako, and the fortified city of Kati, which is a stronghold of the ruling military junta, after two days of violent battles between the army and jihadists allied with the Tuareg rebels.

Suspense prevails in Mali after the killing of Defense Minister General Sadio Camara, while the leader of the military junta, General Assimi Goeta, is still in hiding and has not issued any statement since the start of the battles.

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Mali is witnessing a critical security situation after a series of unprecedented coordinated attacks launched on Saturday by jihadists allied with the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group for the support of Islam and Muslims, and the Tuareg rebels in the separatist Front for the Liberation of Azawad, which demands that the region's residents be granted the right to self-determination.

Jihadist conflicts and acts of violence have been recorded since 2012 in this West African country, which has been ruled by a military junta since 2020.

After two days of violent battles on Saturday and Sunday between the army and armed groups, calm returned on Monday morning to Bamako and Kati, located about 15 km from the capital, which witnessed the heaviest battles.

No gunshots were heard Monday in Kati, but charred car wrecks and bullet marks could be seen, attesting to the violence of the fighting.

Calm also prevailed in the airport area in the Sinu neighborhood on the outskirts of Kati, with some military aircraft flying over periodically.

One of the officers said, "We conducted sweeping operations throughout the night, which allowed us to reduce checkpoints. Now we rely on residents to inform us of the presence of suspicious people in the neighborhoods."

The Minister of Defense, who is considered one of the most prominent officials of the military junta, was killed in this same neighborhood on Saturday, when a “car bomb driven by a suicide bomber” targeted his house, according to what the Malian government reported in a statement on Sunday evening.

Katy was in mourning when the official announcement of the death of Kamara, who was from the city, was announced.

A local resident said in a phone call, "It is as if they are attacking the city for the second time. The shock is enormous."

France 24/AFP

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