BAMAKO, April 28 (Reuters) - The leader of Mali's military government, Assimi Goita, met with Russia's ambassador on Tuesday, according to a post on his office's social media account, his first appearance since insurgents launched coordinated attacks over the weekend.
West Africa's al Qaeda affiliate and a Tuareg-dominated separatist group hit Mali's main army base and the area near Bamako's airport in the attacks on Saturday, while also pushing Russian troops supporting government forces out of Kidal in the north.
The attacks have triggered a scramble for territory across Mali's vast desert north, raising the prospect of significant gains by armed groups that have shown an increasing willingness to strike neighbouring countries and, analysts say, could eventually set their sights further afield.
DEFENCE MINISTER KILLED
Mali's defence minister, Sadio Camara, was killed in Saturday's attacks. Goita had not been seen until the social media post published on Tuesday afternoon.
During Tuesday's meeting, Goita and Russian Ambassador Igor Gromyko, "discussed the current situation and the strong partnership between Bamako and Moscow", according to the post.
Gromyko "reaffirmed his country's commitment to supporting Mali in the fight against international terrorism", it said.
Goita also visited a hospital where people wounded in Saturday's attacks were receiving treatment, and expressed condolences to Camara's family, according to a post on X by his office.
The scale of the offensive, which hit multiple sites across the West African country, demonstrated an unprecedented ability by groups with differing objectives to work together and strike at the heart of the military government. Authorities have said the situation is under control.
MILITANTS THREATEN SIEGE OF CAPITAL
In a video message distributed on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), boasted about Saturday's violence and described it as revenge for drone strikes and other attacks perpetrated by Malian forces.
The spokesperson, Bina Diarra, also threatened to implement a siege of Bamako, a city of 4 million people.
"As of today, Bamako is closed off from all sides," he said in the message.
JNIM imposed a fuel blockade of Bamako last year, but it had eased in the period leading up to Saturday's attacks.
RUSSIA SAYS INSURGENTS REGROUPING
Russia said on Tuesday that jihadi and separatist forces in Mali were regrouping after Moscow's forces helped thwart a coup on Saturday, preventing insurgents from seizing key facilities including the presidential palace.
"The enemy has not abandoned its aggressive intentions and is currently regrouping," the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement.
Russian forces were conducting active reconnaissance operations to destroy insurgent field camps and stood ready to repel further attacks, it added.
Moscow's response to the attacks - which at one point saw its fighters entirely surrounded at one location - is being closely watched across the continent and beyond at a time when its forces are tied down fighting in Ukraine and it is trying to deepen its role as a security guarantor to friendly resource-rich governments in Africa.
Mali turned to Russia for support after expelling French and U.N. troops following coups in 2020 and 2021.
ISLAMIC STATE FIGHTERS ENTER NORTHEASTERN TOWN
As Malian forces sought to mount a defence in the north, fighters from West Africa's Islamic State affiliate entered the northeastern town of Menaka, five sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
The group, known as Islamic State in the Sahel Province, did not take part in Saturday's fighting. However, its fighters were present in Menaka, near the border with Niger, as of Tuesday morning, according to two residents, two security analysts and an official from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).
One resident said the fighters had established checkpoints in some neighbourhoods while Malian soldiers had moved to a nearby camp.
Another resident reported seeing jihadists come and go in small groups on motorcycles but said there was no gunfire and that people continued to move about the town.
None of the sources reported direct clashes.
ISSP and JNIM have fought each other for years. Since their first skirmishes in 2019, the two groups have clashed hundreds of times, leaving more than 2,100 people dead, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.
(Reporting by Mali newsroom, Anait Miridzhanian, Portia Crowe, David Lewis and Andrew Osborn; Additional reporting by Dmitry Antonov and Anna Peverieri; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet, Bate Felix, Ros Russell and Alex Richardson)
