The militants behind the April 25 attacks sought to sow fear and doubt and undermine national resolve, Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga has said

The recent coordinated terrorist attacks on Mali were aimed at seizing power and destabilizing the country's institutions, Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga has said.

Mali's capital, Bamako, along with Kati, Gao, Sevare, and Kidal, came under militant attack on Saturday. The assault was claimed by Al-Qaeda-linked Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). The coordinated offensive targeted military sites, key infrastructure, and senior officials, but was repelled by Malian forces.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, the first day of national mourning for Defense Minister General Sadio Camara, who was killed in the attacks, Maiga condemned the violence as an attempt to derail Mali's political transition process.

"It is evident that only the support of sponsors enabled these cowardly and barbaric acts," the prime minister said, adding that the attackers sought "to sow fear and doubt... break national cohesion" and "undermine our determination."

Russia's Defense Ministry has also described the assault as an attempted coup by JNIM and the FLA against Mali's military-led government.

The violence on April 25 marks one of the gravest security incidents in Mali in recent years, amid a deadly jihadist insurgency that has plagued the country since 2012 - a crisis that has spilled over into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.

On Sunday, Malian Chief of General Staff Oumar Diarra said on state TV that security forces killed over 200 terrorists across the country and seized large quantities of equipment during the fighting.

The Africa Corps, a Russian Defense Ministry unit deployed in Mali, said it provided air support, helping Malian forces prevent the militants from seizing key sites, including the presidential palace in Bamako.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the militant formations numbered about 12,000 fighters, claiming that their "training was conducted with the participation of Ukrainian and European mercenary instructors."

Earlier this year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused France of using "outright terrorist groups" and "colonial methods" in what he described as efforts to overthrow "undesirable nationalist governments" in the Sahel.

The Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, has made similar allegations against France, accusing the former colonial power of sponsoring terrorism in the region to destabilize military-led governments. The three countries have cut defense ties with Paris, expelled French troops previously deployed on counterterrorism missions, and turned to Russia for security support.

On Monday, Prime Minister Maiga vowed that Mali would continue its fight "until the total eradication of terrorism" in the region.

(RT.com)