The security situation in Mali has been brought under control, according to a statement by a Malian government representative. On April 25, simultaneous assaults by the separatist Azawad Liberation Front and the Al Qaeda-linked jihadist group JNIM, targeted the capital of Bamako, along with several strategic northern cities.
“As for Bamako, Kati, Gao, and Sevare, the situation is fully under control and security is being ensured by our defense and security forces with support from instructors of the Africa Corps,” Fousseynou Ouattara, vice president of the Defense and Security Commission within the Transitional National Council, told TASS. He added that Mali’s army remains on high combat alert.
The Africa Corps of the Russian Defense Ministry, which is heavily deployed in Mali as part of security agreements between Russia and Mali, cooperated closely with Mali’s security forces in putting down the terrorist attack. Mali also received support from neighboring Niger, which deployed drones in support of Mali’s security operations. Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso are all part of the Alliance of Sahel States, which has formed a joint security force to combat the terrorist threats all three countries are facing.
The Russian Defense Ministry, under which the Africa Corps operates, has characterized the terror attack as an attempted coup d’état in Mali, reporting that the militants suffered heavy losses, including more than 2,500 fighters and 102 vehicles. The terrorists were backed by Ukrainian and European mercenary instructors, according to both the Russian Defense Ministry and the Malian government.
France has been named as the key ringleader operating against the three Sahel states. In February, Niger’s military Chief of Staff Gen. Amadou Ibro warned that the three Sahel states, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, should prepare for war against France.
