Camp at Gaoin northern Mali, was the target of a suicide attack today, a day after a twin attack by jihadists in the same region killed at least 64 civilians and soldiers.

The military said in a brief message on social media that a “sophisticated” attack took place in the area of ​​the airport. However, he did not refer to an account and limited himself to saying that “the response and assessment” of the consequences of the attack are underway.

So far, very few details are known about this attack. A worker at the airport said it was released with two trapped vehicles, and gunfire was then heard. He added that the airport has been closed.

The attack comes as armed jihadist groups have been putting pressure on authorities in northern Mali for several weeks, raising fears of an explosion of violence.

At least 64 people – 49 civilians and 15 soldiers – were killed in two attacks yesterday.

One targeted a ship traveling on the Niger River and the second an army base in Baba, Gao district, according to a government statement that did not specify how many people were killed in each of the attacks.

The Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM or Jnim by its Arabic acronym), a jihadist group linked to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack on Baba.

The army’s response allowed “about 50 terrorists to be neutralized”, said the government, which declared three days of national mourning starting today.

The ship, belonging to Mali’s Comanav company, was targeted by at least three rockets in the Gourma-Rarous area, between Timbuktu and Gao. Many passengers fell into the water as soon as the first shots were fired, a company official said.

That ship can carry about 300 passengers, a Comanav official said, without specifying how many people might have been on board yesterday.

An army officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said soldiers were on board as guards because of the insecurity in the area.

“Exclusion”

A ship was also targeted by a rocket attack on September 1 in the Mopti region, further south, killing a 12-year-old child and injuring two others.

GSIM announced in early August that it had “locked off” Timbuktu as part of the reorganization of security around the “city of 333 saints” designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA), under pressure from the junta in Mali to leave the country, withdrew from two camps near Timbuktu, Ber and Gundam, which were handed over to the country’s army. Clashes have since erupted between the army and the jihadists, as well as with former Tuareg rebels.

Timbuktu is one of the major cities in northern Mali captured by the Tuareg and then jihadists after the start of the 2012 rebellion. French and Malian armed forces recaptured it in 2013.

The Tuareg signed a peace deal with the Malian authorities in 2015, but the jihadists have continued hostilities. The violence spread to the center of the country and then to Burkina Faso and Niger. Since 2020, military juntas have seized power in these three countries, citing the security crisis.

The recent escalation of tension in northern Mali raises concerns about the survival of the 2015 accord and the possibility of a resumption of hostilities.