Local residents recounted harrowing scenes as heavy gunfire and explosions rocked the town from 5:00 AM onward. «This was no ordinary clash—it was a full-scale terrorist assault. We heard constant gunfire and massive blasts before the area fell eerily silent,» said a San resident who asked not to be named. Meanwhile, the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) issued a statement calling the incident a «failed incursion against the San military installation at 5:30 AM.» They claimed a «decisive counteroffensive» had repelled the attackers and that «order has been restored.»

Jihadist coalition claims responsibility

The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an Al-Qaïda affiliate, swiftly claimed credit for the operation. In a statement, the group boasted of «seizing full control of a Malian army barracks in San, Ségou region» that same morning. This attack follows another devastating strike on July 18, when at least 50 soldiers died in a combined assault by JNIM and the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) in northern Mali—one of the deadliest strikes against the military since the conflict began.

Mali has grappled with worsening insecurity since 2012, fueled by clashes involving Al-Qaïda and Islamic State-affiliated factions, armed communal militias, and separatist Tuareg movements. The violence has deepened an already severe economic crisis. Since military coups in 2020 and 2021, the country has been governed by a transitional junta vowing to restore security and preserve national sovereignty.