Mali’s Tuareg rebels say Russian fighters must withdraw from country

Mali’s Tuareg rebels, involved in a continuing uprising, including the assassination of the country’s defence minister, have said they want to drive the military government’s Russian backers out of the country.

Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), told the AFP news agency during a visit to Paris to meet French security and defence officials that his movement’s “objective” was for Russia’s Africa Corps to “withdraw permanently” from the country.

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Russian fighters backed the military government of President Assimi Goita, as it came under coordinated attack from an alliance of Tuareg separatists, Fulani and Arab rebels, and al-Qaeda-linked fighters, who entered the capital Bamako and made gains across several northern and central cities, including Kidal and Sevare.

“We have no particular problem with Russia, nor with any other country. Our problem is with the regime that governs Bamako,” Ramadane told AFP as he sought support from France, the former colonial power whose troops were forced out by Mali’s military rulers in 2022.

He said the rebels viewed Russia’s intervention negatively because they “supported people who committed serious crimes and massacres”, referring to Goita’s government, which seized power in a coup in 2020.

Coup attempt

The rebel alliance, including the FLA and the al-Qaeda-linked JNIM, launched a coordinated offensive in multiple cities on Saturday.

Mali’s defence minister, Sadio Camara, was killed in an assault on his home at his residence in Kati, a garrison town near Bamako, which is home to several senior government officials. The Malian government said he was killed by a “car bomb driven by a suicide bomber”.

His funeral will be held on Thursday at 10am (09:00GMT).

Amid the attacks on Saturday, Russian fighters were seen driving out of the northern town of Kidal in trucks, reportedly after negotiating their exit through the mediation of neighbouring Algeria.

Ramadane said the Russians had asked for a secure corridor to withdraw and were escorted to Anefis southwest of Kidal. “The Russians found themselves in danger. There was no way out,” he said.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence had earlier said the withdrawal from Kidal was a decision by the Malian government, adding that units stationed in the city had “fought for more than 24 hours … and repelled four massive attacks”.

Goita said on Tuesday evening that military operations would continue until the “armed groups” were “neutralised”.

On Wednesday, the news agency Reuters reported that Malian forces were back in control of the town of Menaka, near the Niger border, saying fighters with ISIL affiliate in Sahel Province (ISSP) had retreated after clashes with the army.

Military presence was also reported in Mali’s central Mopti region and in Gao, the biggest city in northern Mali. Tensions remained high in the central town of Sevare.

Ramadane maintained the regime would fall “sooner or later”, adding that the rebels now intend to take control of Gao, Timbuktu and Menaka following the capture of Kidal.

The FLA, he claimed, was ready to govern major cities in the north by applying a “moderate form of Sharia law” similar to that in Mauritania and relying on qadis, Islamic judges who render decisions based on Islamic law.

France urged its nationals in Mali to leave “as soon as possible” on Wednesday, saying the security situation remained volatile.