UK government issues don’t travel warning for Mali after attacks | News World

Britons have been advised to avoid all travel to Mali after gunmen opened fire across several cities within the African nation.

Armed terrorist groups were reported to have attacked barracks and several other other sites within the capital Bamako.

Mali’s army said in an announcement that soldiers were ‘engaged in eliminating the attackers’ and later confirmed the situation was ‘under control’.

Nevertheless the FCDO has issued a warning against all travel Mali as a result of the ‘unpredictable security conditions’.

It added that there was a high risk of kidnapping and criminal activity across the country.

Britons in Mali should leave immediately by business flights where it’s secure to accomplish that and never by land, the federal government department said.

The Foreign Office said in an announcement: ‘A series of coordinated attacks occurred in multiple locations including Kidal, Gao, Kati, Sevare and within the vicinity of Bamako International Airport on twenty fifth April, which has temporarily closed.

‘When you are in Mali, it’s best to stay indoors where possible, avoid crowded places and areas of military or police activity, and follow guidance issued by local authorities.’

Journalists in Bamako reported gunfire near Modibo Keïta International Airport, nine miles from the town centre and adjoining to an air force base.

Similar attacks in other cities have fuelled fears the newest insurgency has been coordinated by several armed groups.

In recent times Mali has been rocked by successive coups by groups affiliated to each al-Qaeda and Islamic State in addition to a riot within the north.

Mali, in addition to neighbouring Burkino Faso and Niger, have all turned to Russia for assist in combating Islamic military groups following coups in all three countries.

Since 2025, the nation has been governed by a military junta led by General Assimi Goïta, who staged coups overthrowing the previous regime.

Amongst other cities in Mali hit by the newest turmoil is Goïta’s town of Kati, positioned outside Bamako.

A resident of the town said he was woken this morning to the sound of explosions and gunshots.

Bodies were pictured on the streets of Kidal and Gao, where gunfire had been exchanged.

One resident in Gao said: ‘The force of the explosions is making the doors and windows of my house shake. I’m scared out of my wits.’

A spokesperson for Tuareg-led Azawad, a separatist group, said it had taken control of Kidal, nonetheless his claims have yet to be verified.

Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program on the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said the newest rebellion was the most important insurgency in Mali lately.

The US embassy in Bamako advised all residents to ‘shelter in place and avoid travel to those destinations until further information becomes available’.

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