2026 Mali attacks
Part of the Mali War and the War in the Sahel
2026 Mali attacks is located in Mali
Bamako
Bamako
Gao
Gao
Kidal
Kidal
Mopti
Mopti
Sévaré
Sévaré
Bourem
Bourem
Tessalit
Tessalit
2026 Mali attacks (Mali)

Cities that have been attacked by JNIM, FLA, or both.
Date 25 April 2026 – present
Location
Bamako, Bourem, Gao, Kati, Kidal, Mopti, Sévaré, Mali
Status Ongoing
  • Killing of Sadio Camara
  • Africa Corps exit from Azawad
Territorial
changes
  • Kidal falls under FLA/JNIM control[4]
  • JNIM claims partial or full control over Mopti, Sevare and Gao[5]
  • Kati and Bamako remain under Malian control[6]
Belligerents
Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin[1][2]
Azawad Liberation Front		 Mali
Russia[3]		 Islamic State
Commanders and leaders
Iyad Ag Ghali[7]
Alghabass Ag Intalla[8]		 Mali Assimi Goïta
Sadio Camara †
Mali Modibo Koné (WIA)		 Islamic State Abu al-Bara al-Sahrawi
Units involved
Unknown
  • Mali Malian Armed Forces
  •  Russian Armed Forces
    • Africa Corps
Strength
/ 10,000—12,000 (per Africa Corps) Mali Unknown
Russia 200—400[11][12]		 Unknown
Casualties and losses
200+ killed (per Malian Armed Forces)
1,000+ killed (per Africa Corps)		 At least 23 killed (in Kati)
16 wounded (per Mali)
1 Africa Corps Mil Mi-35 helicopter (with crew and mobile fire group killed)		 Unknown

Since 25 April 2026, a series of joint coordinated attacks have been carried out by Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) across multiple locations in Mali. The JNIM fighters launched attacks in Bourem,[13] Bamako, Kati, Sévaré, Senou and Mopti. The FLA claimed control of Kidal and parts of Gao.[14][15]

The coordinated attacks are the largest offensive in the Mali War since the 2012 rebellion.[16][17][18][19] There have been joint attacks by JNIM and the FLA in the north, while in southern and central Mali, JNIM has acted independently. The offensive targeted government centers in Bamako and Kati, which resulted in the killing of Defense Minister Sadio Camara and injury of intelligence chief Modibo Koné, and in cities that connect southern Mali with the north, including Gao, Sévaré, and Mopti.[20] Russia's Africa Corps subsequently withdrew from Kidal, Aguelhok and Tessalit after the FLA encircled them.[21] The Malian government and the Africa Corps described the attacks as a coup attempt that has been thwarted.[22][23]

Background

Mali has been embroiled in a civil war since 2012, initiated by a loose coalition of secular Tuareg rebels from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA)[24] with support from various jihadist groups, including Ansar Dine and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. In January 2012, these groups launched an offensive against government forces in northern Mali. By April, the MNLA had seized control of Kidal, Gao, and Timbuktu, proclaiming the independence of the State of Azawad.[25] The offensive prompted Malian officers to overthrow President Amadou Toumani Touré[26] and seek French intervention via Operation Serval, which routed the jihadists at Konna and reversed the gains made by the Islamist faction of the alliance.[25] Although the Algiers Accords were signed between the Malian government and the Coordination of Azawad Movements in 2015, the implementation of the agreement stalled, and fighting also spread from northern to central Mali from late 2014.[27]

Malian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, elected in 2013, failed to implement reforms to strengthen the Malian state. Foreign military missions such as MINUSMA and the French-led Operation Barkhane also failed to fully suppress rebel and jihadist groups,[27][28] some of which formed the al-Qaeda affiliated alliance Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) in 2017.[29] Following protests in response to alleged fraud in the 2020 parliamentary election, Keïta was removed in a coup led by Assimi Goïta, who became the military ruler of Mali after another coup in 2021.[27] Following similar coups in Niger and Burkina Faso, the three countries asked UN and French forces to leave, and formed the Alliance of Sahel States in 2023. The war in Mali drastically escalated after the withdrawal of UN and French troops.[27][29] Mali subsequently requested the assistance of the Russian Wagner Group for the Kidal offensive in 2023.[30]

Following a setback at the Battle of Tinzaouaten in 2024, which was won by the Azawad Liberation Front (a descendant of the MNLA)[31] and JNIM, the Wagner Group was replaced by the Russian Africa Corps, who have since exploited the country's minerals and killed civilians in areas frequented by the FLA and JNIM.[32] Following 2024, JNIM opened a new front to isolate Bamako and other urban areas in western and southern Mali from economic centers and supply lines. The group targeted the mining region of Kayes and towns that connect Mali to Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea and Ivory Coast, the primary sources of Malian fuel imports. This was part of wider pressure by JNIM in southern Mali.[18] In July 2025, JNIM launched attacks on the cities of Kayes and Nioro du Sahel.[33] In September 2025, JNIM imposed a fuel blockade by attacking transport routes from the borders to government-controlled southern cities. As the south houses the majority of Mali's population, food production, and economic centers,[34] the blockade of fuel imports crippled the Malian state's ability to function.[34][35]

Prior to these attacks, a truce between JNIM and the Malian government had freed 100 JNIM prisoners in exchange for a lifting of the fuel blockade.[36] Signed in late March, the truce was intended to last until Eid al-Adha (locally called Tabaski) in late May.[36][37] The Malian government later denied releasing any prisoners, claiming the reports were "completely unfounded and lacking any reliable source."[38]

Attacks

On 25 April, shortly before 5:20,[39] two explosions and heavy gunfire were reported near Kati, the main military base located on the outskirts of Bamako (which houses Malian leader Assimi Goïta).[40] JNIM fighters drove a car bomb into the house of Defense Minister Sadio Camara, killing him and members of his family.[41] Fighting occurred in the neighborhood of Mamaribougou.[42] At around 6:00, men dressed in Malian army uniforms entered the town of Kati.[43] Witnesses also reported that Russian mercenaries were involved in fighting near the Modibo Keita International Airport in Bamako,[44] where three helicopters were reportedly seen patrolling amid sustained gunfire.[45] Gunfire was simultaneously reported in Gao, Sévaré, Kidal[46][14] and Mopti.[39]

Kidal

According to the FLA, checkpoints at the entrance of Kidal changed hands within the first hour and fighting was concentrated at the city's police station. The station's perimeter was breached that afternoon and control changed hands.[47] Footage showed FLA fighters entering the residence of the Governor of Kidal[48] General El Hadj Ag Gamou, who had been appointed by the junta in 2023.[47] The FLA released a statement claiming to be in control of most of Kidal, and claimed responsibility for the attacks in Bamako.[49]

FLA Spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane claimed control over locations in Kidal and Gao, while calling on the "authorities of Burkina Faso and Niger to stay out of the ongoing events in Mali."[48] He later told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the FLA had taken control of most of Kidal, with Gamou having taken refuge in a former MINUSMA camp.[50] A former Kidal mayor confirmed to the Associated Press that gunmen took control of neighborhoods in the city, leading to clashes with the army.[45] Security sources cited by Reuters indicated that JNIM was also involved,[51] reportedly fighting alongside the FLA in Kidal.[50]

Kidal was fully under FLA control by the end of April 25, although Malian and Russian soldiers remained entrenched in the former MINUSMA camp.[6] Resistance continued on the outskirts of Kidal from Malian and Russian soldiers until the evening of 25 April, when they were evacuated to the MINUSMA base.[47]

On 26 April, France 24 reported that FLA rebels and a local politician told AFP that new clashes had occurred in Kidal between rebels and government troops backed by Russian mercenaries.[52] Gunfire was reported on April 26 at the garrison in Kati, where JNIM attackers were present in unfinished buildings and surrounding hills,[53] despite Malian army claims of full control over the town.[54] The FLA later announced that they reached a deal to allow the withdrawal of Russian Africa Corps forces from Kidal, granting the rebels full control of the area.[55]

An unnamed FLA spokesperson stated that after negotiations with elements of the encircled Africa Corps detachment at the base, they were to be withdrawn and escorted to the town of Tessalit.[56] An Africa Corps convoy was subsequently observed departing the former MINUSMA camp under FLA escort,[57] followed by the withdrawal of Malian soldiers.[58] Malian and Russian soldiers set fire to the camp before departing.[59] The FLA subsequently gained full control over Kidal, and the Malian flag no longer flew over the city.[60] On the night of 26 April, Army Chief of Staff Oumar Diarra confirmed in a televised announcement that the Malian army had left the city and that its forces were re-positioning in Anefis.[61] The Africa Corps later confirmed its withdrawal from Kidal on 27 April.[62] It was also reported that the Africa Corps withdrew from the Aguelhok and Tessalit communes adjacent to Kidal.[21]

Central and Southern Mali

JNIM was reportedly involved in attacking Sévaré and Kati, where an FLA presence was not reported.[63] Other clashes took place between JNIM and the Malian armed forces in Base 101 in Senou.[64] The road connecting Bamako and Sikasso also fell under a JNIM blockade.[18] A civilian told RFI JNIM fighters killed two people during the initial attack on Mopti.[37] Later that evening, RFI's Mandenkan Fulfulde bureau cited civilian sources reporting that shooting between JNIM and Malian forces was still ongoing in Mopti at 17:00.[65]

By the end of 25 April, Malian forces reportedly retained control of Kati and Bamako, although RFI noted that "the situation could change overnight" in those cities.[6] The status of some soldiers and officials, including Sadio Camara, remained unknown.[6] On 25 April, in Gao and Sévaré, control was divided between jihadists and government forces.[6][18] JNIM claimed to have taken "complete control" of Mopti.[66] Libération claimed that "the city of Gao was mostly under rebel control, although Malian forces held the Gao airport".[67]

Gunfire was reported on April 26 at the garrison in Kati, where JNIM attackers were present in unfinished buildings and surrounding hills,[53] despite Malian army claims of full control over the town.[54] A "fragile calm" was reported by RFI in both Gao and Sévaré on 26 April. The city of Sévaré remained split under Malian and rebel control, with brief clashes heard early in the morning of 26 April in Sévaré and Kati.[68] JNIM claimed "full control" of Mopti in statements. In Sévaré, fighting involved gunmen and control appears divided, with rebels pushing in before some withdrawals or pushes back.[citation needed] Witnesses described urban gunfire and bodies in streets. By the evening, Sévaré was calm, but rebel fighters were seen north of the city.[68]

The Malian government announced that curfews would be implemented in cities across the country, and that armed checkpoints would be increased in and out of cities.[68] On 27 April, JNIM said the Malian military had begun to withdraw from Tessit, Gao Region, with the soldiers agreeing to hand over their weapons in exchange for a safe passage from the town.[69] Negotiated withdrawals of Malian and Africa Corps forces also took place in Ber and at the lucrative Intahaka gold mine.[19] In the evening, two explosions were heard near the airport area in Bamako after a military convoy was seen approaching the airport.[70]

Islamic State involvement

The Islamic State's Sahel Province, which holds almost all of Ménaka Region except for its titular capital city, did not react to the rebel offensive militarily or via media until April 28. That day, the group seized the border fort of Labbezanga after Malian troops abandoned it and fled to Ansongo. ISSP also launched an attack on Menaka that was repelled.[9]

Casualties and losses

The Malian government did not release an official death toll, although a hospital source said that the attack in Kati killed 23 soldiers and civilians.[71] Government spokesperson General Issa Ousmane Coulibaly stated that 16 people, including soldiers and civilians, were injured.[72] An Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) spokesperson released video footage allegedly showing the downing of a Malian Air Force Mil Mi-35 helicopter in Wabaria, Gao Region.[73][74] Subsequent reports revealed that the helicopter belonged to the Africa Corps and that both the crew and the mobile fire group on board were killed.[75]

Defense Minister Sadio Camara was targeted by a car bombing which destroyed his residence in Kati,[76][77] killing him alongside his second wife and two grandchildren.[78] Some nearby buildings, including a mosque, were also destroyed by the bombing, killing several civilians.[79] Camara's fate was initially the subject of conflicting reports, with staff initially claiming he was safe.[40][80] His death was confirmed by the government on 26 April, which announced two days of countrywide mourning.[41] According to RFI, President Assimi Goïta was evacuated from Kati to a secure military camp,[81] while intelligence chief Modibo Koné and Army Chief of Staff Oumar Diarra were reportedly wounded,[82] with Koné sustaining multiple gunshot wounds in the fighting at Kati.[83][84] Conflicting reports emerged of Koné's death on April 26, and others saying he was still alive as of April 28 but in deteriorating condition.[85][86][87]

The location of Assimi Goita was unknown until Tuesday.[88] His first public appearance since the start of the attacks was in a visit to a hospital in Bamako to the hospitalized family of Sadio Camara.[88] The location of Goita was a subject of rumors by pro-FLA, pro-JNIM, and anti-junta accounts online, with some alleging he had been evacuated from Kati to a military base in southwest Mali.[9]

Oumar Diarra claimed on ORTM that over 200 attackers were "neutralized", while a large amount of equipment was recovered.[89] In a post on X, the Africa Corps claimed that 10,000 to 12,000 JNIM and FLA fighters participated in the attacks.[90] They alleged that over 1,000 insurgents were killed, including over 200 in Bamako, 500 in Gao, 300 in Kati, and 200 in Kidal, and that over 100 vehicles were destroyed.[91]

Response

The Malian military confirmed on 25 April that it was clashing with unidentified "terrorist groups" in the capital and other parts of the country.[92] An official statement from the General Staff of the Armed Forces informed the public that "unidentified armed terrorist groups" had targeted locations and barracks across the country.[48] By 11:00, the army announced that the situation was under control, though "sweeping operations" remained ongoing.[51][93] In Bamako district, a three-day curfew from 21:00 to 6:00 was imposed by Governor Abdoulaye Coulibaly.[72]

An FLA field commander stated the offensive had been planned for months; he indicated that the rebels next intended to capture Gao, after which "Timbuktu will be easy to fall."[94] JNIM later released a statement confirming its involvement in the attacks, claiming responsibility for attacks against the residence of Assimi Goïta, Defense Minister Sadio Camara, the Kati military base, Mopti, and other locations.[18] FLA official Attaye Ag Mohamed confirmed joint coordination with, as did JNIM.[37] The group also called on Russia to stay out of the conflict "for stable future relations".[95][96]

Russia's Africa Corps said in a statement on 27 April that a coup attempt has been prevented, referring to it as a "Syrian scenario." The statement also claimed that strategic locations have been secured.[97][22] The Financial Times reported that Africa Corps elements were in the process of withdrawing from northern Mali, mainly from Aguelhok and Tessalit, but also from Labbezanga and Tessit near the Nigerien frontier, amid the threat of encirclement.[98] The Africa Corps also accused "Ukrainian mercenaries" and Western intelligence of involvement in the offensive,[22] claiming that they had participated in operations around Kidal and Gao and had used Western-origin portable surface-to-air missiles.[99]

Analysis

Liam Karr of the Critical Threats Project said that "one of the primary aims of JNIM’s attacks in central and southern Mali was likely to degrade the Malian army’s ability to coordinate a response to the attacks in northern Mali."[19] He also said that the seizure of Kidal was one of the major aims of the FLA and JNIM offensive, and the main success of the offensive thus far.[19] Regarding the attacks on top Malian officials, Karr suggested that JNIM and the FLA sought to assassinate three of the main five Malian officials to provoke a collapse of the junta or create conditions for its collapse.[19]

Heni Nsaibia in ACLED said that both the recapture of Kidal by the rebels and assassination attempts on top Malian figures were major symbolic victories for the rebels.[100]

Reactions

Domestic

Malian Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maïga called the attacks "cowardly and barbaric" and said that their extensive scale suggested foreign funding. He added that the government would continue its fight against militant groups and claimed that the Malian army had killed hundreds of fighters.[101] He then claimed that the 25 April attacks were "intended to overthrow the government, dismantle state institutions and end the transition process."[102] An opposition party in exile, the Coalition of Forces for the Republic,[103] said in a statement that the offensive has shown that the military junta has failed in its pledge to restore security and stability in Mali.[70]

On 28 April, according to a post by his office, Assimi Goïta visited Russian ambassador Igor Gromyko and a hospital treating people wounded in the attacks, in his first appearances since the attacks began.[104] Fousseynou Ouattara, the vice president of the Defense and Security Commission of Mali's National Transitional Council, said that the actions of the Africa Corps were "decisive" in preventing the overthrow of the Malian transitional government.[23]

The Malian Football Federation postponed all Malian Première Division matches scheduled for 25 April.[105]

International

Supranational
  • African Union – Commission Chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf's office issued a post that read he "strongly condemns these acts, which risk exposing civilian populations to significant harm, and reaffirms the Commission’s steadfast commitment to the promotion of peace, security, good governance, and stability in Mali."[49]
  • Alliance of Sahel States – The organization called the attacks "a monstrous plot backed by the enemies of the liberation of the Sahel."[70]
  • ECOWAS – The bloc denounced the attack and encouraged "all states, security forces, regional mechanisms and populations of West Africa" to unite against "this scourge".[58]
  • OIC – Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha posted that he is following "with great concern the military operations" that he "strongly condemned" the attacks for seriously endangering the "lives of civilians and threaten peace, security, and stability."[48]
  • United Nations – Secretary‑General António Guterres expressed concern over the attack, strongly condemned the attacks, expressed solidarity with the Malian people, and stressed the need to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.[106]
States
  • Algeria – On 27 April 2026, Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Attaf reaffirmed Algeria's firm support for the "unity of Mali, its land, people, and institutions" while "categorically rejecting all forms and manifestations of terrorism."[107] Attaf stated that terrorism "cannot be justified or tolerated regardless of its motives and causes," and called for strengthening national cohesion in Mali as the best way to combat the phenomenon.[108]
  • Morocco – Expressed solidarity with Mali.[109]
  • Russia – The foreign ministry expressed concern over the "terrorist activity" and claimed that the attackers were possibly trained by Western security services.[110]
  • Saudi Arabia – The foreign ministry condemned the attacks, offered condolences and reaffirming its solidarity with the Malian government.[111]
  • Senegal – President Bassirou Diomaye Faye condemned the attacks, stating that his government and military would "work together with the countries of the sub-region toward the restoration of peace and security in our shared space."[112]
  • Turkey – The foreign ministry released a statement condemning the offensives as "terrorist attacks."[113]
  • United States – The embassy said that its citizens "should shelter in place and avoid travel to these destinations until further information becomes available."[48] The State Department's Bureau of African Affairs condemned the attacks.[114]

Notes

  1. ^ IS-Sahel did not join active hostilities until April 28

Further reading

References

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  2. ^ "🔴 Jihadist group JNIM says it launched attacks in Mali with Tuareg rebels". France 24. 25 April 2026. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  3. ^ Bright, Jewel (25 April 2026). "Mali hit by wave of coordinated attacks from armed groups". NPR. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  4. ^ "FLA separatist group claims control of Kidal, reports coordinated operations in northern Mali". Anadolu (in Turkish). 26 April 2026. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
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