Marrakech – Morocco reiterated today its support for the stability, sovereignty, and national unity of Mali, as the West African country reels from a wave of coordinated attacks that killed its defense minister and plunged the Sahel deeper into crisis.
Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita made the statement during a press conference in Rabat following a meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. He described Mali’s stability as “fundamental” to the broader region and condemned the attacks as “unacceptable.”
“Morocco condemns these attacks and considers that they have caused far too many victims,” Bourita told reporters.
The remarks came four days after al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Tuareg separatists from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) launched near-simultaneous assaults on Saturday across multiple Malian cities.
Fighters struck military installations and strategic sites in Bamako, Kati, Gao, Mopti, Sévaré, and Kidal in what observers called the largest coordinated offensive in Mali since the 2012 rebellion.
A suicide car bomb at his residence in Kati killed Defense Minister General Sadio Camara along with members of his family. The strategic northern city of Kidal fell to rebel control.
French and Algerian propagandist media seized on the chaos to spread disinformation about the Malian leadership, including fabricated claims of General Assimi Goita’s disappearance, despite the junta leader making multiple public appearances, meeting Russia’s ambassador, and visiting the wounded in Bamako hospitals.
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Morocco was among the first countries to react. Within hours of the attacks on Saturday, a Moroccan diplomatic source condemned what it called “cowardly and criminal acts” and reaffirmed Rabat’s backing for Malian authorities in their fight against terrorism and separatism.
On Tuesday, Morocco reinforced that position at the African Union Peace and Security Council. The Moroccan delegation at the AU PSC session dedicated to Mali condemned “with the utmost firmness the terrorist and separatist attacks targeting civilian and military zones.”
It reiterated full support for Malian sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, and called for the mobilization of relevant funds in close coordination with Malian authorities.
Wednesday’s statement by Bourita added a broader warning. He noted that the Sahel is passing through a “very critical” phase of its history and pointed to what he called a “clear connivance between separatism and terrorism.” That convergence, he argued, requires intervention from actors directly concerned, both regionally and internationally.
“It is fundamental that we engage in reverse dynamics, focused on stability and respect for the choices of populations, where relations are founded on cooperation rather than blackmail and intimidation,” Bourita concluded.
Earlier this month, Mali withdrew its recognition of the self-proclaimed “Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)” and backed Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara.
The move completed Bamako’s strategic realignment away from Algiers’ orbit, with Malian officials having repeatedly accused Algeria of harboring separatist factions and interfering in Mali’s internal affairs.
