Overview
- Coordinated assaults across Mali on Saturday struck Bamako and the garrison towns of Kati, Sevare, Gao and Kidal, with a car bomb reported to have killed Defence Minister Sadio Camara.
- Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM said it carried out strikes on the capital region and in northern and central hubs, and reports also cited Tuareg rebels claiming involvement.
- Mali’s armed forces said airstrikes in the Koulikoro region destroyed a motorcycle column near Kolokani and killed more than 100 attackers.
- India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a formal condemnation and condolences, and the Indian Embassy in Bamako urged Indian nationals to stay indoors and follow local instructions.
- News accounts described the raids as the largest coordinated militant action in Mali in over a decade, pointing to eroding state control despite support for the junta from Russia.