Mali junta leader meets Russia’s ambassador as attacks spark “coup attempt” row

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Mali’s junta leader Assimi Goita met Russia’s ambassador to Bamako, Igor Gromyko, on Tuesday, presenting his first public appearance since a coordinated weekend attack across multiple cities. The meeting took place in Bamako and was shown in photos released by the office of the military leader, who has led the West African country’s ruling junta since a 2020 coup.

Later Tuesday, Goita delivered a televised address in which he vowed that military operations would continue. “Military operations will continue until the armed groups involved have been completely neutralized and security has been sustainably restored throughout the country,” he said in the short broadcast, his first live comments following the attacks.

The Associated Press described the weekend as a major, near-simultaneous assault that brought together Islamic militants and separatists. The attacks struck Bamako’s international airport, the nearby garrison town of Kati, and several northern and central cities including Kidal and Sevare, in a region described by the report as a global hotspot for terror-related deaths.

The Azawad Liberation Front, a separatist group, said its fighters later seized Kidal after Malian and Russian forces withdrew from the area. The AP report also said Mali’s defense minister, Gen. Sadio Camara, was killed in the attacks, and that the situation in other areas under attack and the extent of casualties from the fighting remained unclear three days later.

In his address, Goita alleged that foreign powers were aiding the various groups involved. He said the attacks were not isolated incidents, but part of what he described as a broader destabilization campaign carried out by armed terrorist groups and their “internal and external sponsors,” including intelligence and logistical support.

Russia, Mali’s key ally, framed the weekend’s violence differently. Russia’s Ministry of Defense denounced the assault as a coup attempt and said it was foiled by Russian forces—described in the AP report as Africa Corps—operating in partnership with Malian security forces.

In a statement, Russia said about 12,000 attackers took part in the offensive and described how military aircraft were deployed to support ground forces. The report said Russia also claimed its units withdrew from Kidal as a decision by the Malian government and asserted that units in Kidal had been “fought for more than 24 hours in full encirclement” against what the statement described as “vastly superior enemy forces,” including repelling multiple attacks on a stronghold and outer defensive positions.

Alongside the Russian account, U.S. officials issued warnings about possible developments in Bamako. The AP report said the U.S. Embassy in Mali issued a security alert, citing “possible terrorist movements within Bamako,” including reports of forced school closures.

As Mali’s leadership moved from meetings and statements toward military operations, the Associated Press reported that Mali’s government had not provided a detailed account of the attacks and that it could not independently verify Russia’s description of events.