Coordinated attacks by Islamist insurgents and Tuareg separatists have targeted major cities across Mali, including the capital Bamako. The weekend violence, which hit government targets, has destabilized the West African country and resulted in insurgents recapturing a town that had served as a symbol of Russia's promise to provide security where Western forces had failed.
A spokesperson for the Tuareg rebel group Azawad Liberation Front has pledged that the ruling military junta will fall sooner or later. The group is demanding that Russian forces withdraw from all of Mali. Simultaneously, Islamist militants have renewed threats to blockade the capital as the military government battles to reassert control.
In response to the instability, France has urged its citizens to leave Mali as soon as possible. Russia has stated that it is important to quickly restore peace and stability in the country, where its forces are assisting the military-led government. Russia is also seeking to dampen speculation over its ally's government, with the first sighting of Goita occurring since the rebel attacks.