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Renewed Clashes Erupt Near Bamako as Security Tensions Rise in Mali
(MENAFN) Fighting resumed on Saturday in the garrison town of Kati, located near Mali’s capital Bamako, according to local sources and residents, following coordinated attacks on military positions reported a day earlier across the country.
The renewed exchanges of fire come amid escalating instability in Mali after a series of violent incidents, including an attack on a mosque close to the residence of Defense Minister Sadio Camara, as well as renewed hostilities in the northern town of Kidal.
The incidents have drawn condemnation from the African Union, the secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the United States Bureau of African Affairs.
A resident of Kati, Zan Coulibaly, said “warning shots were heard and the situation is now under control.”
In the north, clashes also restarted in Kidal early Sunday, according to a member of the National Transitional Council, Amadou Albert Maiga.
A statement attributed to Mohamed Almaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the Front for the Liberation of Azawad, said an agreement had been reached between Azawad forces and members of the Russian Africa Corps to allow for a safe withdrawal from active combat areas. The statement also claimed that several fighters from the GATIA faction had defected and that Malian army positions in former UN bases were being heavily targeted to force troops out of defensive shelters.
Separately, reports circulated by international media outlets suggested that Defense Minister Sadio Camara and members of his family may have been killed during the attack on his residence on Saturday, although no official Malian source has confirmed this.
Security measures have been significantly tightened in Bamako. Witnesses reported a strong military presence around a private clinic where a senior officer was allegedly receiving treatment, though his identity was not disclosed. Access to the headquarters of the state broadcaster ORTM was also restricted, with barricades placed and security forces deployed in the area.
The renewed exchanges of fire come amid escalating instability in Mali after a series of violent incidents, including an attack on a mosque close to the residence of Defense Minister Sadio Camara, as well as renewed hostilities in the northern town of Kidal.
The incidents have drawn condemnation from the African Union, the secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the United States Bureau of African Affairs.
A resident of Kati, Zan Coulibaly, said “warning shots were heard and the situation is now under control.”
In the north, clashes also restarted in Kidal early Sunday, according to a member of the National Transitional Council, Amadou Albert Maiga.
A statement attributed to Mohamed Almaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the Front for the Liberation of Azawad, said an agreement had been reached between Azawad forces and members of the Russian Africa Corps to allow for a safe withdrawal from active combat areas. The statement also claimed that several fighters from the GATIA faction had defected and that Malian army positions in former UN bases were being heavily targeted to force troops out of defensive shelters.
Separately, reports circulated by international media outlets suggested that Defense Minister Sadio Camara and members of his family may have been killed during the attack on his residence on Saturday, although no official Malian source has confirmed this.
Security measures have been significantly tightened in Bamako. Witnesses reported a strong military presence around a private clinic where a senior officer was allegedly receiving treatment, though his identity was not disclosed. Access to the headquarters of the state broadcaster ORTM was also restricted, with barricades placed and security forces deployed in the area.
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