Mali's Capital Airport Resumes Operations After Suspension Due to Militant Attacks

Modibo Keita International Airport in Mali's capital, Bamako, has resumed operations after being suspended due to militant attacks, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure announced.

"Following a 24-hour temporary suspension of operations to enhance the safety of passengers and personnel, the airport has resumed operations ... on April 26 under the supervision of authorities, including the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure," the statement said.

The airport resumed operations after a security inspection of all its facilities. The first flights took off at 6:00 a.m. local time.

On the morning of April 25, Mali's capital Bamako and several regional centers came under attack. Later, the country's two main terrorist groups — the Tuareg separatists of the Azawad Liberation Front and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadists of JNIM — announced the start of a joint large-scale offensive against government forces.

By midday, the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), together with Russian military personnel, repelled the militants' attacks. Later, sources from African Initiative reported that clashes on the outskirts of Bamako had ceased. In the evening, the Malian authorities issued an official communiqué stating that the situation was fully under control.

In the Sahel region, affiliates of the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda have been active for more than a decade, destabilizing the situation in Mali and its neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger. Militants have been most active in northern Mali since the Tuareg separatist uprising in 2012. Since then, jihadist groups have spread across various Sahel countries.

— Terrorist organizations banned in Russia