11:44,

YEREVAN, JULY 22, ARMENPRESS. Heavy gunfire was heard early on Friday at the main military base outside Mali's capital Bamako before easing after about an hour, Reuters reports.

Three residents of the camp, who asked not be identified, said they believed the base at Kati, about 15 km (10 miles) outside Bamako, had been attacked by Islamist militants, who have been waging an insurgency in Mali for the past decade.

The Kati base was the site of mutinies in 2012 and 2020 that led to successful coups, but the residents said the soldiers did not appear to be fighting among themselves.

Reuters could not immediately verify the cause of the gunfire at Kati. Mali's military spokesman was not immediately available for comment and an official at the presidency declined to comment.