An aerial view of Bamako, Mali, on Saturday, April 25, 2026.Image: keystone
April 26, 2026, 10:32 amApril 26, 2026, 11:17 am
After a coordinated Islamist attack in several cities in Mali, a night curfew has been imposed in the capital Bamako. It applies from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and can be extended if necessary, according to an order from the district governor.
The military reported extensive searches in Bamako and the other cities attacked on Saturday evening and emphasized that the situation was under control. Bamako airport, which suspended operations on Saturday due to fighting in the area, reopened on Sunday.
A spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Guterres was deeply concerned by the reports from Mali and called for joint international action to respond to the threat of violent extremism in the Sahel.
The UN peacekeeping force Minusma left Mali after ten years in December 2023 at the request of the military government in the West African country. Bundeswehr soldiers were also deployed there as part of the stabilization mission.
Experts had described the coordinated attacks as a massive escalation of the conflict in Mali. In recent years there have been repeated attacks in the Sahel state by the terrorist group JNIM, which has existed since 2017 and is the West African branch of Al Qaeda. (sda/dpa)