The attack on the police training academy and nearby airport is one of the worst since the unrest began more than a decade ago.
More than 70 people are believed to have been killed in an attack by an al-Qaeda-linked group in Mali's capital Bamako earlier this week, according to diplomatic and security sources.
Hardline fighters from Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM) carried out the attack on an elite police training academy and the nearby airport on Tuesday, sparking shock and anger in the West African country.
A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP news agency that 77 people were killed and 255 wounded in the attack.
An authenticated confidential official document estimates the death toll at around 100 people, identifying 81 victims, AFP added.
Two diplomats serving in the region, including one based in Bamako, told Reuters news agency the death toll was believed to be around 70.
A third diplomat based in the region said there were believed to be hundreds dead and wounded and hospitals had run out of beds to treat the victims.
The country is battling an armed uprising that began more than a decade ago in the arid north of the country and has also spread to neighbouring countries in the Sahel region, leaving thousands dead and forcing millions of people to flee their homes.
The attack undermines claims by the military, which seized power in a coup in 2021, that it has stabilised the situation after French troops left and turned to Russia for security.
Mali's military rulers have acknowledged some losses.
JNIM claimed that a few dozen of its fighters had killed and wounded “hundreds” of enemy ranks, including members of the Russian mercenary group Wagner.
He posted videos on social media showing his fighter jets randomly firing at the windows of the presidential hangar and destroying planes.
A plane used for humanitarian work by the World Food Programme (WFP) was among those damaged, according to National Airways Corp, the South African airline that owns the plane.
WFP spokesperson Djaounsede Madjiangar said the plane was used to “transport aid workers and provide emergency humanitarian aid in remote areas of Mali.”
He added: “It is true that this is not the only aircraft we use in Mali, but this reduces our humanitarian response capacity to respond to civilians, given that we have several destinations.”
The attack drew widespread international condemnation, including from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, neighbouring Senegal, African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, and the embassies of France and the United Kingdom.
Jean-Hervé Jezequel, Sahel project director at the International Crisis Group, told AFP news agency that JNIM could be “trying to send a message to the Malian authorities that they can be attacked anywhere and therefore big cities must also be protected.”
He said the goal could be to force the government to concentrate its resources on populated areas and have fewer troops in rural areas where these “groups have established their strongholds.”
