Spain advises Spanish residents in Mali “to avoid non-essential travel” in Bamako

The warning comes after the clashes in the main Malian military base, located near the capital

July 22 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Embassy of Spain in Mali has advised Spanish residents in the African country to “avoid traveling that is not essential” after the clashes that took place early in the day at the main Malian military base, located on the outskirts of the capital, Bamako .

“Given the evolution of the security and traffic situation in Bamako, the Embassy of Spain advises the Spanish community to avoid trips that are not essential,” he said in a message on his official account on the social network Twitter.

“Remember to check our social networks, emails and SMS,” he added, without the Malian military authorities having commented for the moment on what happened at the Katin base, the scene of a shell attack and a subsequent shooting.

For their part, witnesses quoted by the French station Radio France Internationale have pointed out that “the objective is clear, it is something directed against those responsible for the board”, amid reports about the evacuation of the place of the leader of the board and president of transition, Assimi Goita, in a convoy headed for Bamako.

Goita led the coup against the then president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, in August 2020–and subsequently led a second coup d’état in May 2021 against the transitional authorities of Mali–at which time he overthrew the president and the prime minister. , Bah Ndaw and Moctar Ouane–, rising to power.

Relations between Bamako and the international community have been strained since then, in part due to delays in the initially announced deadlines for the holding of elections and the deployment of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group to deal with the jihadist threat, which which has led to the withdrawal of Western troops.