In Mali, a “terrorist” attack targets a gendarmerie camp in the heart of Bamako. Would you like me to assist you with anything else?

**Attack on Gendarmerie School in Bamako**

The early morning of Tuesday, September 17, saw gunfire and explosions at the gendarmerie school in the Faladié district of Bamako, as the sun rose over the Niger River. Videos circulating on social media showed significant black smoke rising from the area. There were ongoing reports of gunfire at 8:30 GMT, but an officer stated that the situation was being brought under control. The gendarmerie school houses elite units such as the Rapid Action Group for Surveillance and Intervention (Garsi) and the National Gendarmerie Intervention Unit (PIGN).

**Terrorist Infiltration**

The identity and number of the attackers remain unknown, with no claims of responsibility yet. However, officials believe it is likely the work of jihadists. The army’s general staff confirmed the presence of a terrorist group attempting to infiltrate the gendarmerie school and informed that clearance operations were underway in the area, asserting that the situation was under control. Following the incident, the nearby Bamako airport was temporarily shut down.

**Previous Attacks in Mali**

The last significant attack in the heart of the Malian capital was on March 21, 2016, at the Nord-Sud hotel, the headquarters of the EU training mission for the Malian army, where one assailant was killed. On July 22, 2022, a complex car bomb attack claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM) targeted the Kati military camp, about fifteen kilometers north of Bamako, a military stronghold and seat of the junta led by Colonel Assimi Goïta.

**Strategic Timing**

The assault occurred just five days before Independence Day on September 22 and coincided with the opening of the trial concerning the purchase of the presidential plane and military equipment under Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta’s regime, overthrown on August 18, 2020, by Colonel Assimi Goïta’s junta. The trial, involving several civilian and military figures accused of corruption, was scheduled at the nearby court of appeal where some defendants are held including General Moustapha Drabo and Colonel Major Nouhoum Dabitao, along with close associates and former ministers of IBK.