Eyewitnesses say gunfire and explosions rock several districts in Mali

Explosions and sustained gunfire rocked several districts of Mali on Saturday morning, including near the main ‌military base in Kati outside the capital Bamako.

The town is the home of the country’s military ruler, General Assimi Goïta, who first seized power when the army overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar in August 2020.

Eyewitness and security sources said soldiers have been deployed to block off roads in the area. Fighting was also heard in Gao, the main northern city, and Sevare in the centre of the landlocked nation.

It was not clear what caused the explosions and no militant group immediately claimed ⁠responsibility for an attack.

Mali has been battling more than a decade of jihadist conflict and the military took power in two coups in 2020 and 2021.

It vowed to restore security in a country where militants control large areas of the north and centre and stage frequent attacks on the army and civilians.

The region has been grappling attacks by jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group and community-based criminal groups and separatists since 2012.

The military government, like its counterparts in neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, has severed ties with former colonial power France and some Western countries, to move closer to Russia.

Russia's Wagner Group, which had been fighting with Malian forces against jihadists since 2021, announced the end of its mission in June 2025.

It has since become the Africa Corps, an organisation under the direct control of the Russian defence ministry.

While the Malian junta pledged to hand over power to civilians by March 2024 it has cracked down on critics and dissolved political parties.

In July 2025, it granted Goïta a five-year presidential term, renewable "as many times as necessary" and without an election.

Since September, an Al-Qaeda affiliate known by its Arab acronym JNIM, has been attacking fuel tanker convoys, bringing the capital Bamako to a standstill at the height of the crisis in October.

Despite several months of calm, residents faced a diesel shortage in March, with fuel prioritised for use in the energy sector.