Militants attack Mali’s main military base

Suspected Islamist militants on Friday attacked the main military base where Mali’s interim president lives outside the capital Bamako, but the armed forces said they had repelled the assault and had the situation under control.

The attack on the Kati military base began at 5 a.m. local time with two vehicles packed with explosives, said the Malian army in a Twitter post.

“The provisional death toll is two assailants neutralised.

“The situation is under control and clearing operations are underway to flush out the authors and their accomplices,” said the army.

Residents from the area said they were woken up around 5 am on Friday by gunfire and explosions.

Malian special forces personnel were deployed in the area, and two helicopters flew overhead.

The French embassy sent text messages to French nationals saying “attack underway at Kati” and urging caution.

The Kati base is the nexus of Mali’s military apparatus. The base was the site of mutinies in 2012 and 2020 that led to successful coups,

The impoverished landlocked country is governed by a junta headed by Colonel Assimi Goita, who forced out the elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, in August 2020 and carried out a second coup the following May.

The junta staged a second coup in 2021 to force out a civilian interim president who was at odds with Goita.

Goita then became interim president. He plans to continue to lead a transitional government until elections are held in 2024.

His government has sparred repeatedly with neighbouring countries and international powers over election delays, alleged army abuses, and cooperation with Russian mercenaries in the fight against the Islamist insurgency.

Although the junta came to power pledging to stamp out the insurrection, it has been unable to prevent the insurgents from extending their operations further south from their havens in the north and centre.

(Reuters/NAN)