Armed men attacked a military camp in the Malian capital, Bamako, on the morning of Tuesday, September 17, where gunfire and explosions echoed and the airport was closed, officials, AFP and witnesses reported. “Armed men who have not yet been formally identified attacked at least one gendarmerie camp in Bamako this morning”said a gendarmerie official on condition of anonymity. “Bamako airport is temporarily closed due to the events”said an airport official, without commenting on the duration of this measure.
Gunfire of varying intensity, interspersed with explosions, began around 5 a.m., AFP reported. Black smoke rose at daybreak from an area near the airport. A witness said he was stuck with other worshipers in a mosque near the shooting zone at the time of the first morning prayer. The Liberté high school broadcast a message announcing that it would remain closed “due to external events”. UN employees also received a message telling them to “limit travel until further notice”.
Mali, a poor and landlocked country facing the spread of jihadism and a deep multidimensional crisis since 2012, has been the scene of two putschs, in August 2020 and May 2021. It has since been governed by a junta led by Colonel Assimi Goïta. Following this, its neighbors, Burkina Faso and Niger, have also seen military forces seize power by force. Mali remains the prey of attacks, from which the capital had however been spared until now.
