Armed men strike military school in Mali capital

Armed men have attacked a military training camp in Mali's capital, Bamako, state television has reported.

It described the attackers as "terrorists".

The announcement from ORTM came after gunfire was heard ringing out in the city early on Tuesday morning. The attackers struck a gendarmerie school near the city's airport but the situation was now "under control", the channel reported.

Mali is one of several West African countries that have been fighting an Islamist insurgency for more than a decade. But it is not clear who was behind this shooting.

The military seized power in a coup in 2021, accusing the government of failing to do enough to quell the insurgency.

However, three years later, there is no sign of the attacks ending.

On Tuesday morning, videos on social media showed plumes of smoke rising from a part of the city.

Witnesses told the Reuters news agency that the gunshots began at around 05:30 local time (05:30 GMT).

People heading to the mosque for morning prayers had turned back as shots rang out, Reuters said.

“Combing operations" are currently taking place at the site of the attack, ORTM said.