Gunmen attacked a military police base early Tuesday in the Malian capital Bamako where gunfire and explosions were heard and the airport was closed, sources, witnesses and an AFP correspondent said.

“This morning armed men attacked at least one military police base in Bamako. They have not been formally identified,” a police source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Volleys of gunfire interspersed with explosions began at around 5:00 am and black smoke could be seen rising from an area near the airport.

“Bamako airport is temporarily closed due to events,” an airport official said without saying how long the closure would last.

A witness said he and other worshippers were stuck in a mosque near the area during early morning prayers.

The French high school Liberte announced it would remain closed “due to external events” and staff at the United Nations mission in Mali received a message urging them to “limit (their) movements until further notice”.

Mali has been ruled by a military junta since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021.

A number of armed rebel groups are active in the West African country — including separatists and jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group — but until now the capital has been spared.

After the Malian coup, military juntas also seized power in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Under junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita, Mali broke a long-standing alliance with European partners and former colonial power France, turning instead to Russia and its Wagner mercenary group for support.

The military leaders have pledged to regain control of the entire country.

Their offensive against rebels in the north has given rise to numerous allegations that the army and its Russian allies have committed abuses against civilians since 2022, charges they deny.