Military training camp in Mali capital &ndash ; Bamako was attacked early this morning, the army said, the Associated Press reports, citing BTA.
An armed assailant tried to break into the gendarmerie school “Faladie”, the army said, adding that an operation to search the building is underway. Mali's armed forces said the situation was under control, but they urged people to avoid the area.
Early this morning, an AP team reported hearing two explosions and seeing smoke rising.
The training camp is located in the suburbs of the capital.
Mali, along with neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, has been battling armed rebel groups for more than a decade, including movements allied to “Al Qaeda” and “Islamic State”.
After military coups in the three countries in recent years, the ruling juntas kicked out French forces and instead sought help from Russian mercenary security forces.
Since taking power, the head of the Malian junta, Col. Assimi Goita, has tried to prevent jihadist attacks, but attacks in central and northern Mali are on the rise.
In July, around 50 Russian mercenaries traveling in a convoy were killed in an ambush by members of “Al Qaeda”. The mercenaries, along with the Malian army, were fighting mostly Tuareg rebels when their convoy was forced to retreat into jihadist territory and was ambushed south of Tinzaouaten municipality.
Attacks in the capital, however, are rare. In 2022, an attacker opened fire on a Malian army checkpoint about 60 km outside the city. In the attack, six people were killed and several others were injured.