Mali's PM Says Coordinated Assualts Were Intended to Size Control

(MENAFN) Mali’s prime minister has stated that a series of coordinated militant attacks across the country were intended to destabilize the state and seize control of government institutions.

According to reports, Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga said the assaults were designed to undermine Mali’s political transition and weaken national cohesion. The attacks targeted multiple locations, including the capital Bamako as well as Kati, Gao, Sevare, and Kidal, where military positions, infrastructure, and senior officials were reportedly among the objectives.

The offensives were claimed by groups identified as Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which is linked to Al-Qaeda, and the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg-led faction. Malian forces said they were able to repel the coordinated operations.

Maiga, speaking during a period of national mourning for Defense Minister General Sadio Camara—who was killed in the attacks—condemned the violence, saying it aimed to spread fear, disrupt unity, and weaken the country’s resolve. He also suggested that external backing played a role in enabling the attacks.

Separately, Russia’s Defense Ministry described the incident as an attempted coup against Mali’s military-led government.

The violence, which occurred on April 25, is being described as one of the most serious security incidents in Mali in recent years, amid an ongoing jihadist insurgency that has affected the country since 2012 and spread into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.

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