Senegal's Faye offers Mali support against insurgents

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye offered "unwavering support" to neighbouring Mali on Tuesday during a visit to junta leader Assimi Goita, whose government is fighting jihadist and separatist insurgents.

Faye's visit was his first trip since being appointed chair of the West African regional bloc ECOWAS. Diplomatic sources said the meeting was primarily bilateral and that Faye was not accompanied by other ECOWAS members.

After the visit, Faye expressed Senegal's "unequivocal and firmest condemnation" of what he called increasingly frequent "heinous, cowardly, and barbaric acts".

"I reiterate that Senegal stands ready to support Mali through this ordeal, so that together we may confront the manifold challenges and threats to peace and stability across the region and the wider Sahel," Faye said.

AFP reported that fighters from the Tuareg separatist movement FLA and the Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM have carried out coordinated assaults against Mali in recent months. It reported that rebels seized the northern city of Kidal in April and killed Malian defence minister Sadio Camara.

Goita did not make a public comment after the meeting.

Mali quit ECOWAS in January 2025 along with Niger and Burkina Faso after the three countries formed the Alliance of Sahel States. Under Goita, Mali has turned away from former colonial ruler France and moved toward Russian paramilitary support, while the junta has struggled to restore security after years of jihadist and separatist unrest.