Extremists attack military training camp in Mali, army says

A military training camp in Mali’s capital Bamako has been attacked by extremists, the country’s army has said.

Gunmen attempted to infiltrate the Faladié gendarme school and a sweep operation is underway, according to a statement from the military on Tuesday. The armed men who carried out the attack have not yet been formally identified, according to reports.

The army said the situation was under control and asked people to avoid the area. Bamako airport temporarily shut down and UN agents were also asked to limit their movements until further notice.

Early on Tuesday morning, an Associated Press reporter heard two explosions and saw smoke rise in the distance. The training school is located on the outskirts of the city.

Mali, along with its neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger, has for over a decade battled an insurgency fought by armed groups, including some allied with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russian mercenary units for security assistance instead.

Since taking power, Colonel Assimi Goïta has struggled to stave off growing attacks by the jihadis.

Attacks in central and northern Mali are increasing. In July, approximately 50 Russian mercenaries in a convoy were killed in an Al-Qaeda ambush.

The mercenaries had been fighting mostly Tuareg rebels alongside Mali’s army when their convoy was forced to retreat into jihadi territory and ambushed south of the commune of Tinzaouaten.

Attacks in the capital are rare. In 2022, gunmen struck a Malian army checkpoint about 60 kilometres outside the city, killing at least six people and wounding several others.