Russia calls on all socio-political forces in Mali to negotiate to resolve the situation in the country, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova told a briefing.
"Moscow is deeply concerned about the developments in Bamako, and we call on all Malian socio-political forces to peacefully resolve the situation through negotiations," she said.
Zakharova pointed out that the situation in the capital of Mali remains tense, there are cases of looting of state and residential buildings, and the deterioration of the criminal situation.
"According to information received from the Russian Embassy in Bamako, there are no injured Russian citizens in Mali. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia recommends to refrain from traveling to the Republic of Mali until the situation is normalized and reliable security guarantees are provided," the diplomat added.
In the morning of August 18, a mutiny occurred at a military base near the Malian capital of Bamako. The military seized the General staff, arrested the country's top leadership, including President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, and formed the so-called National Committee for the Salvation of the People (NCSP). Under pressure, Keita announced his resignation on August 19, as well as the dissolution of the government and Parliament. In the afternoon of August 19, the rebels announced that Colonel Assimi Goita had become the head of the NCSP. He served in the special forces of the armed forces of Mali and participated in the preparation and implementation of the rebellion. The mutiny occurred at a time when the country was in a protracted political, economic, social and military crisis.
Mali is one of the world's poorest countries, ranking 119th in the world in terms of its GDP. Half of the country's population lives below the World Bank's poverty line - with an income of less than $1.25 per day. According to UN estimates, Mali is the 12th poorest country in Africa out of 54 countries on the continent.
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Photo: Arouna Sissoko / AP / TASS
Based on materials from TASS