Tuareg Rebels in Mali Demand Russian Forces Leave the Country

Tuareg rebel groups in Mali, including the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) now involved in an uprising linked to the assassination of the country's defense minister, have declared their intention to drive out the military government’s Russian-backed forces.

Speaking to AFP during a visit to Paris to meet French security and defense officials, FLA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane said the movement’s goal is to force Russia’s African Corps to 'withdraw permanently' from Mali.

Russian fighters have been supporting the military government of President Assimi Goita as it faces coordinated attacks from a coalition of Tuareg separatist rebels, Fulani and Arab insurgent groups, and al-Qaeda-linked militants. The offensives have reached the capital Bamako and captured several northern and central cities, including Kidal and Sevare.

'We have no particular problem with Russia or any other country. Our problem is the ruling regime in Bamako,' Ramadane told AFP as he sought support from France, the former colonial power that was forced out of Mali by the military government in 2022.

The spokesman described Russia’s intervention as negative because it 'supports those who commit serious crimes and massacres,' referring to the government of Goita, who came to power after a 2020 coup.

The rebel coalition, comprising the FLA and the al-Qaeda-linked JNIM group, launched a coordinated attack on several cities on Saturday. Mali’s Defense Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an attack on his home in Kati, a garrison town near Bamako. The Malian government said he was killed by 'a car bomb driven by a suicide bomber.' His funeral is scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m. (9:00 GMT).

In the wake of Saturday’s attacks, Russian fighters were seen driving out of the northern town of Kidal in trucks, following a negotiated withdrawal brokered by neighboring Algeria. Ramadane said the Russians requested a safe corridor to withdraw and were escorted to Anefis, southwest of Kidal. 'The Russians found themselves in danger. There was no escape,' he said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry earlier stated that 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 major attacks.' President Goita declared on Tuesday evening that military operations would continue until the 'armed groups' are 'neutralized.'

Reuters reported Wednesday that Malian forces had retaken the town of Menaka near the Niger border, saying fighters from the Islamic State in the Sahel Province (ISSP) had withdrawn after clashes with the army. Military presence was also noted in the Mopti region of central Mali and in Gao, the largest city in northern Mali. Tensions remain high in the central town of Sevare.

Ramadane asserted that the regime will collapse 'sooner or later,' adding that the rebels now intend to capture Gao, Timbuktu, and Menaka after taking Kidal. According to him, the FLA is prepared to govern the major northern cities by applying 'a moderate form of Sharia law' similar to that in Mauritania, relying on qadis, or Islamic judges who issue rulings based on Islamic law.

France on Wednesday called on its citizens in Mali to leave 'as soon as possible,' stating that the security situation remains unstable.