Mali says that its capital Bamako is under control after insurgents attacked a gendarmerie training school and other areas before dawn on Tuesday, firing gunshots that reverberated around the city.

The capital was tense following the attack, with vigilante groups of youth patrolling the streets.

According to media reporters, it was a cigarette seller, who had been set on fire by youths because he was wearing a bullet belt, making them suspect he was an attacker.

Authorities did not identify who they blamed for the pre-dawn attacks on strategic points in Bamako, but it was a rare case of unrest reaching the capital after years of armed conflict in the hinterlands between government forces and Islamist rebels.

For more on this story Aurelie Kalenga spoke to Dr Zoumara Diarra the General Secretary for Mali's Human Rights Commission.