In Mali, Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop met yesterday, Thursday, May 7th, with members of the diplomatic and consular corps in Bamako. This meeting, which resembled an information session, aimed to brief the ambassadors and consuls accredited to Mali on the latest developments in the country, particularly the terrorist attacks of April 25th.

"Two truck bombs targeted (Assimi Goita's residence)"

Minister Diop revealed that the objective of these terrorist attacks was to neutralize the President of the Transition, Assimi Goita, and his Minister of Defense, Sadio Camara. They unfortunately succeeded in assassinating Mr. Camara, but not the Head of State, who managed to escape.

“What happened on Saturday, April 25th, was aimed at nothing other than decapitating the country’s leadership. There were two major targets. The first was the residence of the Head of State in Kati. Two truck bombs targeted this residence. One was hit by gunfire and exploded. The second failed to detonate. So, the target was well known,” revealed the Malian Foreign Minister.

"We will not accept submitting to the dictates of states in the region or of more distant states."

He regrets the death of Minister Sadio Camara in the other suicide attack.

Overall, the authorities are pleased with the failure of these attacks since the ultimate goal was to "replace the leadership in order to bring in personalities who are certainly in the pay of powers that only seek to break the dynamic of refounding (Mali)".

He assures that his country will never give in.

"We will not accept to submit to the dictates of states in the region or of more distant states who believe that it is up to them to designate who should lead our country," Abdoulaye Diop also warned.