Mali junta leader Assimi Goïta meets Russian ambassador after rebel attacks
via SeneNews1 min read
Malian junta leader Assimi Goïta met with the Russian ambassador to Mali, Igor Gromyko, on Tuesday, according to the Malian presidency. This meeting marks Goïta's first public appearance since unprecedented rebel attacks on Saturday. The attacks, carried out by Tuareg rebels of the FLA and jihadists of JNIM, occurred near Bamako and in several central and northern towns, resulting in at least 23 deaths. The key city of Kidal was also lost, a significant setback for the junta and its Russian paramilitary allies since the 2020 coup. The Malian presidency stated that Goïta and Gromyko discussed the current situation in the country. Ambassador Gromyko reportedly reaffirmed Russia's commitment to Mali in the fight against terrorism, stating that "Russia will always be Mali's friend." Goïta's absence and silence for three days had fueled speculation about his ability to remain in power, especially after his Minister of Defense, Sadio Camara, a key junta official and architect of the rapprochement with Russia, was killed in one of the attacks.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by SeneNews.
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