UN Secretary-General Expresses Solidarity with Mali Following Militant Attacks

 UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed solidarity with the people of Mali following militant attacks in several regions, according to a statement from Guterres's spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric.

"The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by reports of attacks in several regions of Mali. He strongly condemns these acts of violence, expresses solidarity with the Malian people, and emphasizes the need to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure," the statement said.

Guterres also called for coordinated international support to counter the growing threat of terrorism in the Sahel region and to provide necessary humanitarian assistance.

On the morning of April 25, Mali's capital Bamako and several regional centers came under attack. Later, the country's two main terrorist groups — the Tuareg separatists of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLNA) and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadists of JNIM — announced the start of a joint large-scale offensive against government forces.

By midday, the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), together with Russian military personnel, repelled the militants' attacks. Later, sources from African Initiative reported that clashes on the outskirts of Bamako had ceased. In the evening, the Malian authorities released an official communiqué stating that the situation was fully under control.

On the same day, the African Union (AU) and the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the terrorist attacks in the West African country.

In the Sahel region, affiliates of the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda have been active for more than a decade, destabilizing the situation in Mali and its neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger. Militants have been most active in northern Mali since the Tuareg separatist uprising in 2012. Since then, jihadist groups have spread across various Sahel countries.

— Terrorist organizations banned in Russia