Mali's PM urges public to remain calm during visit to victims of attacks

Mali's Prime Minister urged the pubic to remain calm as he visited some of the injured in Saturday's nationwide attacks by jihadi and rebel forces.

Days after a massive coordinated attack that killed the country’s defence minister, life in Mali is returning to a relative calm.

The offensive saw jihadist fighters join forces with separatist rebels.

The near-simultaneous attacks on Saturday struck across the country — including the airport of the country's capital, Bamako, the nearby garrison town of Kati, and several northern and central cities such as Kidal and Sevare.

During a visit to some of those injured in Saturday’s attack, General Abdoulaye Maiga, the Prime Minister of Mali's transitional government, condemned "cowardly and barbaric attacks" and described them as a bid to destabilise the country.

"The president of the CNT (National Transitional Council) and myself thought this morning we should visit the injured from this terrorist incident," Maiga said.

"I would like to commend the professionalism and dedication of the medical staff. This is also an opportunity for us to urge the public to remain calm. I believe that the terrorists' goal is to undermine national unity and instil fear in us, but it will never work," he added.

The government has not provided a death toll but said 16 people were injured.

The alliance of al-Qaeda-linked militants and separatist Tuareg rebels marks a dangerous escalation in what is widely considered one of the world’s deadliest regions for extremist violence.

The attack was unprecedented for its scale — both for the number of locations struck and the prominence of the targets, analysts say.

The weekend attack marked also a challenge for Russia, which has partnered with Mali’s military-led government after it distanced itself from former allies such as France.

On Monday, Russian Africa Corps fighters confirmed that they have withdrawn from the northern town of Kidal, now under control of Tuareg separatists.

Kidal's capture in a similar militant-insurgent alliance over a decade ago was at the root of the security crisis that has shaken Mali.