Explosions and gunfire as armed groups launch co-ordinated attacks across Mali

Armed groups launch coordinated attacks across Mali32 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJake LaphamandMakuochi OkaforGunshots ring out in Kati and gunmen seen on streets of KidalExplosions and sustained gunfire were reported in Mali's capital, Bamako, as armed groups launched co-ordinated attacks across the country into Sunday.Mali's military said on Saturday evening that efforts to repel the attacks were under way, and some militants had already fled.Fighting has also been reported around Kati, home to a major military base outside the capital, as well as in Gao, and the central cities of Sevare and Mopti. On Sunday, gunfire resumed in Kidal in the north, according to reports.Mali has for years been plagued by insurgencies by groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as a separatist movement in the country's north.Reports suggest the assault by the separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) - which seeks a breakaway ethnic Tuareg state - was primarily focused on northern cities, while the jihadist group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) had staged simultaneous attacks on multiple locations across the country.One analyst described it as the largest jihadist attack in years."We had been working on this operation for a long time, in a well-planned manner, and in fact, in alliance with [JNIM]," Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesman for the FLA, told the BBC."It is difficult to find any solution without their participation, and there was co-ordination."Meanwhile, JNIM confirmed in a statement that the attacks had been part of a joint operation with the FLA.Mali's military said it was fighting what it described as "terrorist groups", which had been "routed" with "several hundred" killed. The BBC has not been able to independently verify this claim, and there are indications that fighting continues in areas. "We are in Kidal and it has not fallen completely," Ramadane said. "There are still elements of the Malian army and Russian mercenaries there. All of Gao's gates have fallen, but the camps of the army have not."He earlier wrote on social media that the FLA's forces had taken control of Kidal and were expanding their presence in the centre of Gao. Ramadane posted unverified footage purporting to show militants taking over a camp occupied by the Malian army and Russian mercenaries in Kidal, as well as a military helicopter supposedly shot down near Gao.An FLA field commander involved in the assault on Kidal told the BBC the group had been preparing for the offensive "for months", and was attempting to block the road between the city and Tessalit to prevent army reinforcements arriving."Our main goal now is to control Gao and then Timbuktu will be easy to fall," he said.On Sunday, fighting resumed in the city to "drive out the last Russian fighters", AFP news agency reported, citing Ramadane.A local official confirmed to AFP that the fighting "between the Malian army, the Russians and the rebels" had continued, with residents hearing gunfire.FLA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane said the attacks had been planned "for a long time"In Bamako, checkpoints have been established on roads leading to the airport and vehicles are being searched, according to reports. A curfew has been imposed from 21:00 to 06:00 local time for the next three nights.The UK Foreign Office has advised against all travel to Mali following the attacks, adding Bamako International Airport had been temporarily closed.Ulf…

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