Gunfire near the palace: what is happening in Mali?

Gunshots were heard in several areas of Mali, one of which hosts the headquarters of the ruling military council, in developments whose circumstances remain unclear in a country shaken by coups and crises.

On Saturday morning, gunfire was heard in several regions of Mali, including Kati, near the capital Bamako, where the residence of the head of the military council, General Assimi Goïta, is located, according to witnesses, a security source, and a correspondent from Agence France-Presse.

Gunshots were also reported in Gao, the largest city in northern Mali, as well as in Sévaré in the center of the country, with no party having yet claimed responsibility.

Later, the army stated that unidentified armed “terrorist” groups had attacked several military sites in the capital and in other parts of the country.

In a statement, it added that clashes were still ongoing.

Mali, located in the Sahel region, has been experiencing conflict and violence for more than ten years, carried out by terrorist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The country is ruled by military leaders who seized power following two coups in 2020 and 2021.

The Malian military regime has distanced itself from France and several Western partners, as have Niger and Burkina Faso, which are also governed by military councils, and has chosen to move closer politically and militarily to Russia.

The Wagner Group, which had supported Malian authorities since 2021, announced about a year ago the end of its mission to become an organization placed directly under the control of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Since gaining independence from France in the 1960s, Mali has been continually confronted with successive crises, as disagreements intensify and hardships deepen, making military coups a recurring phenomenon whenever tensions escalate.

Currently, the ruling military regime faces numerous challenges, including separatist demands in the north, a crisis that has persisted for more than a decade, as well as growing terrorist threats.