Dozens killed and wounded in terrorist attacks in Bamako, Mali
Terrorist attacks in Bamako on Tuesday killed more than 70 people and wounded 200, in one of the heaviest losses among security forces. Finance In recent years.
Illustrative map of Bamako in Mali
A security source reported that 77 people were killed and 255 others were injured, while an official document indicated that around 100 people were killed, mentioning the names of the victims. The newspaper “Le Soir de Bamako” announced on its front page Thursday that “around fifty gendarme students were buried.”
This comes as the ruling military authorities have sought not to announce a specific human toll for this operation, which has not witnessed any casualties. Capital Similar to it for a long time, which contradicts the military council’s statements about the success of its strategy in fighting terrorist groups.
The General Staff merely acknowledged “some human losses, especially among gendarmerie students,” while various sources reported a very large number of deaths.
The “Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims,” which claimed responsibility for the operation, said via its propaganda channels that a few dozen of its men had killed and wounded hundreds in nine hours, including members of the Russian armed group Wagner, an ally of the military regime in Bamako. It added that its members were killed in the operation.
Tuesday’s attacks came a day after the first anniversary of the creation of the Sahel Alliance, which includes Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which are facing expanding terrorist activities and are experiencing deep crises.
The military regimes that came to power through coups since 2020 have abolished the historical alliance with the former colonial power France, and have turned militarily and politically towards other partners, including Russia.
The terrorists attacked the gendarmerie school before dawn and stormed the nearby military airport. They temporarily took control of part of the facility, including the presidential suite where the head of state and his guests arrive and depart. Photos released by JNIM show its members destroying equipment at the site.
The capital has not seen such an operation since 2016, while other parts of the country are subjected to almost daily attacks.
“Define responsibilities”
African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat “strongly” condemned the attacks in Bamako and issued an “urgent appeal to strengthen regional and international strategic cooperation in the fight against the resurgence of terrorism” in West Africa. France offered its condolences.
“We have to go back years” to record an attack of this magnitude in the capital, said Jean-Hervé Jezequel, Sahel project director for the International Crisis Group. “We are in the heart of Bamako, in a gendarmerie school and especially at the international airport,” he added.
One hypothesis, he said, is that “the jihadists are trying to send a message to the Malian authorities that they can strike anywhere and therefore the big cities must also be protected” and relieve pressure on rural areas where the terrorists are most present.
Tuesday’s attack undermines the military council’s narrative that its strategy of distancing itself from former partners, forging new foreign partnerships and intensified military efforts have helped reverse the trend in dealing with jihadists after years of hardship.
The attacks have prompted condemnation and unrest in Mali. In the context of restrictions on freedom of expression imposed by the military junta, no figure has issued statements to denounce the authorities’ possible security failures.
The only contrasting statement came from the newspaper Nouvelle Horizon, which stated that “the time has come to define responsibilities at all levels.”
Many Malians on social media called for sanctions against those responsible.
The attacks also raised fears of a score-settling against specific groups.
“We can compare the policies of recent years that have always prioritized a military response, alongside the military instrument that is still necessary. We must also put back at the forefront a response of a political nature, which is political dialogue,” Jezekiel said.
