Fighting resumes in Kati near Mali capital Bamako

Fighting resumed Saturday in the garrison town of Kati near the capital Bamako, sources and residents said, a day after coordinated attacks on military attacks across the country were launched.

The new exchanges of fire come amid heightened tensions across Mali following a series of violent incidents, including a deadly attack on a mosque near the residence of Defense Minister Sadio Camara, and the resumption of fighting in the northern town of Kidal.

The attacks were condemned by the African Union, the secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the United States Bureau of African Affairs.

Zan Coulibaly, a resident of Kati, said “warning shots were heard and the situation is now under control.”

In the north, fighting resumed in Kidal early Sunday, according to Amadou Albert Maiga, a member of the National Transitional Council.

A statement from Mohamed Almaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the Front for the Liberation of Azawad, said an agreement was reached between Azawad forces and elements of the Russian Africa Corps to ensure their safe withdrawal from the fighting.

The statement also specified that several fighters from the GATIA group, led by Gen. El Hadj Ag Gamou, have defected. It added that Malian army positions in the former UN mission camps were under sustained fire aimed at forcing the troops out of their bunkers.

Meanwhile, reports relayed by French media outlets Le Figaro and Jeune Afrique claimed that Gen. Sadio Camara and some members of his family were killed on Saturday in the attack on his residence. No Malian official source confirmed the development.

Security has been visibly tightened in Bamako, particularly around a private clinic where witnesses said a senior military officer was receiving treatment, though his identity was not disclosed. Access around the headquarters of the state broadcaster ORTM was also restricted, with barricades and a heavy security presence.

Security forces conducted patrols throughout Saturday night across several neighborhoods of the capital.

Separately, the Malian army returned to the town of Sevare in the Mopti region.

A witness in Mopti claimed that all the banks in the town were looted by armed men on Saturday. There are a few corpses in the streets, and the attackers withdrew to 50 km from the city.

While there has been widespread chaos and looting, terrorists have not been able to seize the military camps despite the violent and intense fighting.