Armed men attacked several industrial sites in the Bafoulabe area of western Mali early Sunday, according to Ibrahima Diawara, chief executive officer of IBI Group and vice president of Mali's National Council of Employers.
In a statement posted on US social media platform Facebook, Diawara said his factory in Bafoulabe, in the Kayes region, was under fire and faced a high risk of serious damage or destruction.
"My factory in Bafoulabe is currently under attack by armed men," Diawara said in a phone interview, adding that he had no further details on the situation.
Diawara told Anadolu that other industrial facilities in the same area were also targeted, including a plant operated by Diamond Cement and another factory owned by Indian investors. The sites are located just a few kilometres from each other.
As of early afternoon, there was no official reaction from Malian authorities, the armed forces, or the government.
A local resident told Anadolu that around 160 heavily armed attackers on about 80 motorcycles carried out the assault, recalling that the same industrial sites were hit on July 1, 2025, when "important people were also abducted."
The source said warnings were issued by residents of Diallane and Saourane on Jan. 6 and 10, leading to the evacuation of Stones factory workers, while Diamond Cement management fled to Kayes on Jan. 9.
According to the resident, the assailants split near Selinkegny, attacking the Stones factory and moving toward Diamond Cement and CCIM sites, burning loaders and a bus. "There were no deaths or injuries, but three people were kidnapped at the Diamond Cement factory," the source said.
The attack comes less than six months after a major assault on the same Bafoulabe/Selinkegny industrial zone in July 2025, when three factories belonging to IBI Group were burned down in what authorities described as a large-scale terrorist attack. The recurrence of violence at the site has heightened concerns among business leaders about a sustained campaign against private economic assets in western Mali.
Bafoulabe lies roughly 330 kilometres (205 miles) northwest of Bamako and sits near the RN1 highway linking the capital to the Kayes region, a vital trade and supply corridor. Since September 2025, that axis has been the scene of repeated attacks attributed to the armed group JNIM, an al-Qaeda affiliate, including the destruction of more than 130 fuel tankers in western Mali, according to independent investigations.
The attacks have contributed to fuel shortages, economic disruption, and persistent insecurity along the Kayes-Bamako route, despite reinforced military escorts in recent months.
