JNIM & FLA Launch Largest Coordinated Assault Since 2012 — Attacks Hit Bamako, Kati, Gao, Kidal, Sévaré Simultaneously; FLA Claims Kidal

In the largest coordinated militant offensive in Mali since the 2012-2013 war, JNIM (Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin) and the Tuareg-led Front de Libération de l'Azawad (FLA/Azawad Liberation Front) launched simultaneous attacks on military positions across Mali in the early hours of April 25, 2026. Two loud explosions and sustained gunfire erupted before 6:00 AM GMT near Mali's main military base at Kati (15 km from Bamako), home of junta leader General Assimi Goïta. A UN security note described 'simultaneous complex attacks' in Kati, near Bamako's Modibo Keïta International Airport, and in cities and towns further north including Sévaré (Mopti Region), Gao, and Kidal. Four security sources told Reuters that JNIM appeared to have coordinated with the FLA — two armed groups not formally allied. The scale and apparent coordination prompted Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque to describe it as 'unprecedented.' The home of Mali's Minister of Defense Sadio Camara in Kati was attacked and severely damaged; France 24's Wassim Nasr shared footage showing the minister's residence destroyed, and his fate remained unknown at time of reporting. FLA spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane announced on social media that FLA forces 'had taken control of multiple positions in Kidal and Gao,' including one of two military camps in Kidal. Reports indicated FLA controlled 'most of Kidal,' a former Tuareg stronghold retaken by FAMa/Wagner in November 2023. An AP journalist in Bamako heard sustained heavy weapons and automatic rifle fire from the direction of Modibo Keïta International Airport, where a military camp housing Russian mercenary forces is located. The Malian army described attackers as 'terrorist groups,' urged civilians to remain calm, and deployed soldiers to block roads around Kati. FAMa helicopters patrolled neighborhoods near the airport. JNIM did not immediately claim responsibility, consistent with its operational practice. The simultaneous multi-front assault — from Bamako to Kidal, a distance of more than 1,500 km — represents a qualitative leap in coordination capability that analysts and the SOF News report characterize as 'the largest offensive since 2012-2013, reflecting a convergence of insurgent and separatist pressure rather than unified command.'