Russia urges stability in Mali amid escalating violence

Russia said on Tuesday that it wants Mali to return to a peaceful and stable course as soon as possible after a sharp escalation in violence that has tested Moscow’s security role in the West African country.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the comments after coordinated attacks by jihadist and separatist groups in Mali. Reporting cited by AFP, AP, Reuters and TASS said the attacks killed Mali’s defense minister, Sadio Camara, and forced Russian-backed Africa Corps units to withdraw from Kidal.

The violence has added pressure on Mali’s military junta at a time when security is already fragile across the Sahel. AP reported that the attacks were coordinated across multiple locations, while Russian and Malian officials said they had repelled them in most places.

The fighting has also revived conflicting claims about control of territory in the north. AP and other reporting said separatist forces seized Kidal, while officials in Moscow and Bamako described the assault as largely contained.

The United Nations also condemned the attacks. In a statement on April 25, the UN secretary-general called for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Russia has remained a key external security partner for Mali after the junta distanced itself from former Western allies, but the latest attacks show the limits of that arrangement. The immediate question is whether the violence will push Mali and its backers toward a broader response or deepen the uncertainty over who controls the country’s north.