France urged its citizens on Wednesday to leave Mali “as soon as possible”, after military leader General Assimi Goïta said the country’s worsening security crisis was “under control” following major attacks by jihadists and Tuareg separatists.
France’s foreign ministry said the security situation remained “extremely volatile” after the weekend assaults on government targets in several cities, including Bamako. It told French nationals to plan a temporary departure using commercial flights still available.
Those still in Mali were urged to stay at home and remain in regular contact with family, while France repeated that travel to the country remained formally discouraged for any reason.
The warning followed coordinated attacks over the weekend that killed Defence Minister Sadio Camara and saw rebel forces take control of the northern city of Kidal.
Malian official accuses Russian forces of 'betrayal' after Kidal falls to rebels
French warning
Around 4,200 French citizens are registered with consular services in Mali, with officials estimating about 3,000 more are not registered. About two-thirds are dual nationals living in Bamako.
Goïta’s televised address on Tuesday was his first public appearance in three days, after his absence raised questions about his hold on power during one of Mali’s most serious security crises in years.
“As I am speaking to you, security arrangements have been reinforced. The situation is under control and clearing operations, search efforts, intelligence gathering and security measures are continuing,” he said.
Calling the unrest one “of extreme gravity”, he urged Malians to reject division and said the country needed “clarity, not panic”.
Major offensive
The attacks were the largest in nearly 15 years and brought together two former enemies – the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg separatist group, and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist alliance.
They launched coordinated strikes on military positions across Mali, including around Bamako, in a major challenge to the ruling junta and its Russian military allies.
At least 23 people were killed in two days of fighting, a hospital source told the French news agency AFP. Camara, a central figure in Mali’s shift towards Russia, was among the dead.
Earlier on Tuesday, Goïta’s office released photographs of him visiting wounded soldiers and civilians, and meeting Russian ambassador Igor Gromyko, in his first public appearance since the attacks began.
Wagner replaced in Mali by Africa Corps, another Russian military group
Russian setback
Russia’s defence ministry said rebels who captured Kidal were regrouping. It also confirmed that Africa Corps, the Kremlin-controlled force sent to support Mali’s junta, had withdrawn from the city.
The loss of Kidal and reported army withdrawals from several positions in the Gao region have raised new doubts about the junta’s security strategy since Goïta seized power in 2020 promising to defeat Islamist insurgents.
Gao is one of Mali’s most important military strongholds after Kati, near Bamako, where several senior junta officials are based and which was also targeted during the weekend violence.
A spokesman for JNIM said in a video on Tuesday that militants were blockading roads into Bamako and Kati. “Anyone breaching this blockade... will face the consequences,” spokesman Bina Diarra said.
AFP said it could not independently verify whether the blockade was active by Tuesday evening.
(with AFP)
