US EditionMali's Tuareg Rebels Vow Regime 'Will Fall', Urge Russian Forces to Withdraw
A coordinated offensive by Al-Qaeda-linked militants and separatists forced the retreat, while rebels said Russia should leave Mali permanently.
- On Wednesday, the Azawad Liberation Front demanded Russian forces withdraw permanently from Mali, following a major offensive launched by Tuareg rebels and Al-Qaeda-linked militants over the weekend.
- Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed Tuesday that its Africa Corps faced major setbacks in Mali, forced to retreat from Kidal after coordinated attacks overwhelmed their positions.
- FLA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane told AFP that their objective is for Russia to withdraw from Azawad and beyond, stating, "Our problem is with the regime that governs Bamako."
- According to Ramadane, the Russians requested a secure corridor to retreat "when they realized they could not hold out against our forces and our firepower."
- Analysts describe the offensive as the biggest threat to Mali's central government since 2012, with reports indicating junta leader Assimi is currently in hiding.
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Rebels attacked, among other places, the capital of Mali, Bamako. As a result of the coordinated attacks, the Russian African Corps was forced to withdraw from the city of Kidal. Sadio Camara, the central government's defense minister, was killed in the offensive, and junta leader Assimi Goïta is reportedly in hiding, according to AFP. "Our goal is a permanent Russian withdrawal from Azawad, and then from all of Mali," Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadan…
Mali's Tuareg rebels vow regime 'will fall', urge Russian forces to withdraw
A spokesperson for Mali's Tuareg rebel group Azawad Liberation Front pledged on Wednesday that the country's ruling junta "will fall" and said the group wanted to see Russian forces withdraw "from all…
Mali Rebel Group Demands Russia Leave Country Following Major Offensive
Tuareg rebels in Mali want Russian forces to leave the country, a spokesman for the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) coalition told AFP on Wednesday, coming after Al-Qaeda-linked militants and armed separatists launched a major offensive over the weekend.
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