Armed men attacked on Sunday afternoon, a tourist camp on the outskirts of the Malian capital. According to a provisional assessment, seven people were killed, including three civilians, three assailants and Malian soldier.
“We were alerted at around 4pm that there are shots. Immediately, the security forces deployed themselves, closed the area and the “assailants entrenched” behind the hills”, explained the Malian Minister of Security, Salif Traoré.
The attack targeted the Kangaba camp situated on the hillside on the outskirts of Bamako. “At first, we thought they were bandits, but we know how bandits act. They do not hold the ground. So we’re thinking about a terrorist attack”, Traore said.
According to witnesses, one of the assailants arrived on a motorcycle starting to shoot the crowd before being joined by “two or three others in a vehicle”.
Shortly before 10 pm, the sweeping operation continued to get hold of the assailants whose exact number had not been known until then. While exchanges of fire continue, the Malian forces manage to release at least “32 clients including fourteen Malians, thirteen French and two Spanish”. A command post has been set up for better management of the situation, according to the army.
Speaking on national television, the Minister of Security assured that two terrorists were also neutralized during the sweep. One of the assailants, wounded, was able to escape leaving a machine gun, six shippers and bottles containing explosive substances”.
A week ago, the US Embassy in Mali warned its nationals about possible terrorist attacks against diplomatic missions in Bamako. The alert advised to avoid the insecure places or not coming to Mali at all.
Aboubacar Dicko