Mali: Gunfire Heard at Army Base Outside Capital

Gunfire was heard on Tuesday at an army base near Mali's capital Bamako, in the midst of a growing political crisis in the Sahel zone, multiple witnesses and a security official said.

At a military base in Kati, a town some 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Bamako, soldiers shot their weapons into the air.

"Lots of them were there, and they were really anxious," a town doctor told AFP.

A security official, who was on-site, confirmed that soldiers had been firing into the air and that they appeared to be acting in coordination.

The current situation remains unclear, but news of the soldiers opening fire quickly triggered fears of a coup attempt in fragile Mali.

The Embassy of France, the former colonial power, recommended on social media on Tuesday that everyone remain inside their homes.

The country has been mired in a deep political impasse for months, as President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has come under fierce pressure from the opposition June 5 Movement to resign.

The loose alliance of opposition and religious leaders has been channeling deep anger over a dire economy, perceived government corruption, and brutal jihadist conflict.

But the June 5 Movement's push to topple Keita veered into crisis last month when at least 11 people were killed during three days of unrest following a protest.

The opposition group has since rejected attempts at mediation with the 75-year-old president, and vowed to continue staging rallies against him.

Mali's eight-year jihadist conflict is thought to be contributing to current political tensions in the country, with Keita under pressure to stop the fighting.

The government has been struggling to contain a jihadist insurgency that first broke out in 2012, and which has claimed thousands of lives since.