Explosions and gunfire as armed groups launch co-ordinated attacks across Mali

Explosions and sustained gunfire have been reported in Mali's capital, Bamako, as armed groups launched co-ordinated attacks across the country.Mali's military said on Saturday evening that efforts to repel the attacks were under way, and some militants had already fled.Fighting has also been reported around Kati, home to a major military base outside the capital, as well as in Gao and Kidal in the north, and the central cities of Sevare and Mopti. One analyst described it as the largest jihadist attack in years.Mali has for years been plagued by insurgencies by groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as a separatist movement in the country's north.Reports suggest the assault by the separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) - which seeks a breakaway ethnic Tuareg state - was primarily focused on northern cities, while the jihadist group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) had staged simultaneous attacks on multiple locations across the country."We had been working on this operation for a long time, in a well-planned manner, and in fact, in alliance with [JNIM]," Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesman for the FLA, told the BBC."It is difficult to find any solution without their participation, and there was co-ordination."Meanwhile, JNIM confirmed in a statement that the attacks had been part of a joint operation with the FLA.