September 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Malian authorities on Tuesday temporarily restricted access to Bamako’s international airport following attacks in the capital this morning, particularly against the Gendarmerie School in the Faladié district, where a shootout lasted for about three hours, and a military camp located near the airport.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of the African country has indicated in a statement that these attacks have led the authorities to take these measures “to prevent all possible risks” and has urged citizens to remain calm despite the fact that the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), a branch of Al Qaeda in the Sahel, has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
However, the ministry has indicated that all possible measures have already been put in place to “lift the restrictions”, while confirming that the authorities will provide more details in the afternoon, according to a message released by the Ministry through its Facebook account.
For his part, the Minister of Security and Protection, Daud Ali Mohamedine, has asked the population to “cooperate with the Armed Forces and report any suspicious activity or person,” as stated in a statement. Thus, he has expressed his great “gratitude” to the Army for its “rapid response, characterized by determination and professionalism.”
The authorities, who had previously assured that the situation was under control, reported that shortly afterwards clashes were reported again in the vicinity of the airport, where flights were cancelled throughout the morning.
The army is carrying out a series of raids and has asked the population to “avoid the area” for the time being until tensions subside. “We ask people to avoid crowds,” he said in statements to the ORTM channel of Malian state television.
These attacks are the first major attacks against Bamako since November 2015, when 20 people were killed during an assault by the Al-Qaeda-linked Al Murabitun group on a hotel. However, a military base located about 15 kilometres from the capital was targeted in July 2022 by an attack carried out by JNIM. The junta leader Assimi Goita resided on the premises, so it was considered a significant blow, amid the approach of jihadist attacks on the capital.
Add Comment