Kati

Kati is the largest town in Koulikoro region and the largest urban commune in Mali outside Bamako, sitting about 15 km northwest of the capital on the historic Dakar–Niger railway line. It grew up around Camp Gallieni, a French colonial garrison established for the Senegalese Tirailleurs regiments; a war memorial there was dedicated in 1934 to the dead of the First World War and the conquest of French Sudan. France's forces left Kati in 1961, after Malian independence, but the base remained the country's main military installation, today housing a military hospital and academy alongside barracks. Kati's garrison has repeatedly been the staging ground for national political upheaval — most notably the 2012 mutiny that led to the overthrow of President Amadou Toumani Touré, and the 2020 coup in which soldiers advanced from Kati on Bamako to depose President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. Travelers should check the current security and political situation before visiting, given the town's continuing role in national events.

By Plane

The nearest airport is Bamako (BKO IATA).

By Car / Road

Kati is reached by road from Bamako, about 15 km to the southeast.

By Train

Kati sits on the historic Dakar–Niger railway line; current passenger service status should be verified locally.

• Camp Gallieni war memorial — A 1934 memorial to Malian and French soldiers who died in the First World War and the conquest of French Sudan, on the grounds of Kati's colonial-era military camp.

• Bamako — National capital