This is the first major attack on Bamako since 2015 when fighters targeted foreigners in a nightclub and hotel.

Days after the West African country’s ruling military was ambushed by Islamist rebels, it has sought to hide the true extent of the carnage.

Authorities in Mali say the capital Bamako is "under control" following an early morning attack on Tuesday in which shots were fired at a gendarmerie building and a military zone near the city’s airport.

Since the conflict in Mali erupted, violence has spread to neighbours in the Sahel region and reached the north of coastal countries. Thousands have been killed and millions displaced in the region, and some fighters are allied with Al Qaeda or Islamic State.

Over 70 people were killed and 200 were injured in Tuesday’s jihadist attack on a gendarmerie school and military airport in Bamako, the capital of Mali, according to AFP, citing military sources. The junta ruling the country since 2021,