Gunfire was heard on Sunday in Kati, a town near Mali's capital, a witness said, a day after militants carried out one of the largest coordinated attacks in the country in recent years.

The gunfire in the town of Kati suggested that fighting had entered a second day, despite the army saying it had reasserted control.

On Saturday, armed groups struck multiple locations in the country, including Kati, Sevare, Gao, Kidal and Bamako, leaving 16 people wounded.

The overall toll remained unclear, as did the situation in Kidal, which insurgents said they had retaken.

The United Nations condemned the violence and called for an international response to rising insecurity in the Sahel.

"The Secretary‑General is deeply concerned by reports of attacks in several locations across Mali. He strongly condemns these acts of violence," a UN spokesperson posted on X.

Meanwhile, Mali Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an attack by al Qaeda-linked group JNIM on his residence at the Kati military base outside Bamako on Saturday, according to local media reports.