PRETORIA, April 28. /TASS/. The radical-led attacks in Mali which killed Defense Minister Sadio Camara could not have been executed without the support of "sponsors" from abroad, Prime Minister of the transitional period Abdoulaye Maiga said.
"Our country suffered as a result of coordinated and planned terrorist attacks that occurred simultaneously in several places throughout the country. It is clear that without the support of sponsors, these cowardly and barbaric acts would never have been carried out," the prime minister said on the ORTM TV channel.
According to him, the terrorists pursued several goals. They wanted to "sow fear and doubt," "weaken the resolve" of the people, seize power and dissolve all state institutions. "For those who are being manipulated by the sponsors, I think it's important to ask a legitimate question: [why] don't these sponsors try these harmful projects that they want to implement in other countries," Maiga added.
State-owned newspaper L'Essor said that by sponsors the prime minister meant foreign powers.
On April 25, radical groups attacked about 20 cities and towns in various parts of Mali.
Two military coups have taken place in Mali since the summer of 2020. In May 2021, by a decree of the Constitutional Court of Mali, colonel Assimi Goita was appointed head of state for a transitional period. In the summer of 2025, the National Transitional Council of Mali, acting as parliament, approved Goita's tenure as head of state until at least 2030, with the right to be re-elected in the future.