Coordinated attacks rock Mali, injure 16 across multiple cities

It was one of the largest coordinated attacks in Mali in recent years, as armed groups launched assaults across the capital, Bamako, and several other key locations.

Government officials confirmed that at least 16 people were injured in the attacks, which targeted both civilian and military sites.

Malian government spokesperson Issa Ousmane Coulibaly said the violence unfolded on the morning of 25 April 25, describing it as a “complex and coordinated” operation.

The attacks struck multiple garrison towns, including Kati, Sévaré, Gao, and Kidal. According to officials, the injured, both civilians and military personnel, are receiving treatment, while property damage has been described as limited.

Authorities have not released a death toll. However, the al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for the attacks, including strikes on Bamako’s international airport and four other cities.

The group said the operation was carried out jointly with the Azawad Liberation Front, a Tuareg-led separatist movement.

Mali has long faced instability driven by Islamist insurgencies linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as separatist rebellions in the north.

In 2024, a similar attack claimed by an al-Qaeda-affiliated group targeted Bamako’s airport and a military training camp, killing scores of people.