On Sept. 17, militants of the al-Qaida-linked JNIM insurgency in Mali launched simultaneous attacks targeting a gendarmerie school in Bamako, the capital, and a military camp at the international airport on the outskirts of the city.
The violence, which left more than 70 people dead and over 200 injured, marked the first time in nine years that Bamako had been targeted by jihadists. Although central and northern Mali have witnessed near-daily attacks in recent months and large parts of the country are no longer under the Malian government’s control, the capital had remained reasonably safe up until now.
Notwithstanding Bamako’s reputation for relative stability in the midst of an increasingly chaotic region, there were signs that an attack on the capital was coming. Jihadists have moved further and further south in recent years, with attacks occurring increasingly closer to the city long seen as a refuge.