BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A plane that was used for humanitarian work by the World Food Program was damaged during an Islamist attack in the capital of Mali, according to the South African aviation company that owns the plane.
The company, National Airways Corp., said late Wednesday that the plane “came under terrorist attack” on Tuesday while it was on the ground in Bamako, Mali. It said all crew and staff were unharmed and in a remote safe house.
Djaounsede Madjiangar, spokesperson for the World Food Program, said the aircraft was used to “transport aid workers and provide emergency humanitarian aid in remote areas of Mali.”
He added: "It’s true that it’s not the only plane we use in Mali, but this reduces our humanitarian response capacity to give to civilians, given that we have several destination points.”
On Tuesday, Islamic militants attacked a military training camp and the airport in Bamako. Mali troops subdued the militants following gunfire that killed some soldiers, authorities said. An al-Qaida-linked group has claimed the attack.
At least 15 suspects were arrested, a security official who was inside the training camp at the time of the attack told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to reporters.
National Airways Corporation said it was “a tragic state of affairs” that their “assets are damaged and destroyed in a fellow African country whilst performing humanitarian work in support of the citizens of Mali, under the auspices, approval, markings and the flag of the World Food Program (WFP).”
“The capital of Mali is unaffected, and business and life continue as before with no further unrest noticed,” it added.
The al-Qaida-linked militant group JNIM claimed responsibility for the attacks on its website Azallaq. Videos posted by JNIM show fighters setting a plane on fire. The group claimed to have inflicted “major human and material losses.”
Mali, along with its neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has for more than a decade battled an insurgency fought by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russian mercenary units for security assistance instead.
The Malian authorities denied the presence of Wagner in Mali.
Since taking power, Col. Assimi Goita has struggled to stave off jihadi attacks. Attacks in central and northern Mali are increasing. In July, approximately 50 Russian mercenaries in a convoy were killed in an al-Qaida ambush.
Attacks in the capital of Bamako are rare, however.