The Japan Times - Mali junta battles 'terrorist groups' amid intense fighting

Witnesses reported intense fighting in a town near the capital where junta leader General Assimi Goita lives and other key cities in the nation, which has been stricken by more than a decade of jihadist conflict.

Tuareg rebels in the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) coalition said they had seized the northern city of Kidal. AFP was not immediately able to verify the claim.

The Malian junta, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, has labelled the FLA a "terrorist" group.

A Malian army statement said: "Terrorist groups, not yet identified, early this morning targeted certain points and barracks in the capital and the interior" of the country.

"We call on the population to be vigilant. Our defence and security forces are engaged in annihilating the attackers," the statement added.

Fighting was reported around Bamako, at Gao and Kidal in the north, and in the central city of Sevare.

Heavy gunfire was heard at Kati, in the Bamako suburbs, where Goita has his residence.

One resident said Jihadists had taken a military camp in the Samakébougou neighborhood of Kati and there was "heavy" fighting.

The junta chief's whereabouts were unknown.

There was also intense speculation over Defence Minister General Sadio Camara after residents said a powerful blast destroyed most of his home in Kati. Camera's entourage insisted he was not present at the time and was "safe".

Helicopters buzzed over Bamako and around the international airport. Fighting was reported around a military base near the airport.

The streets of the capital were deserted amid sporadic firing, an AFP correspondent reported.

- 'Advancing inside the city' -

The Tuareg FLA said in a Facebook statement: "The city of Kidal has come under the control of our armed forces."

An FLA spokesman, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, told AFP: "Our FLA troops control Kidal, most of Kidal. The governor of Kidal has taken refuge with his men in the former camp of MINUSMA", referring to the former UN mission in Mali.

The spokesman posted a photo on facebook he said was a military camp in Kidal that had been occupied by "Russian mercenaries" and the Malian army.

Mali's junta is locked in struggles with both the FLA and jihadist groups.

Observers say the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group, has recently been seeking to join forces with the FLA.

Russia's mercenary Wagner Group, which had been fighting with Malian forces against jihadists since 2021, ended their involvement in June 2025. It has since become the Africa Corps, an organisation under the direct control of the Russian defence ministry.

Since September, JNIM has been attacking fuel tanker convoys heading for the capital. It brought Bamako to a standstill at the height of the crisis in October.

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

- Ties severed with West -

Mali has resources including gold and other valuable minerals. But since 2012, it has been grappling with a security crisis over attacks by jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group and community-based criminal groups and separatists.

The military used the crisis to justify its takeover.

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

It has also been criticised for restricting the media and silencing opposition activists. Goita's administration has banned political parties.

The junta had pledged to hand over power to civilians by March 2024 but in July 2025, it granted Goita a five-year presidential term, renewable "as many times as necessary" and without an election.

US President Donald Trump's administration has sought to establish contacts with the three juntas, however, while Togo has sought to act as an intermediary between Western nations and the three countries, which have formed their own Alliance of Sahel States.

Thousands of people have died in attacks in Mali since the jihadist turmoil erupted and tens of thousands of Malians have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, including Mauritania, in recent years.

M.Ito--JT