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Malian Forces, Islamist Rebels Clash in Gao

by VOA News February 10, 2013

A gunbattle between Malian soldiers and suspected Islamist fighters erupted in the center of Gao on Sunday, as militants defied a security lock-down by French and Malian troops following two suicide bomb attacks in two days.

Residents and journalists reported heavy gunfire and several explosions near a police station in the sprawling Saharan town, the largest in northern Mali. They said government forces were fighting rebels from the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, or MUJAO.

There was no immediate confirmation from Malian and French military authorities.

Late Saturday, a suicide bomber blew himself up at an army checkpoint near the entrance to the city, following a similar attack at the same place the day before. The two suicide blasts were the first in Mali.

The Malian military said the bomber in Saturday's attack was a young Arab man and suspected member of MUJAO.

The group seized control of Gao in April last year and had ruled the city until the arrival of French and Malian forces in late January. Military officials have said some elements of the group remain in the Gao area, and other fighters are hiding in the surrounding desert.

French-led forces reclaimed Gao on January 26 from al-Qaida-linked rebels who had seized control of northern Mali for 10 months in the wake of a military coup.