Ensuring national security: The priority is to restore state authority throughout the territory

This commitment of our country’s military authorities was reiterated by the Director of Information and Public Relations of the Armed Forces (Dilpa). Colonel Suleiman Dembur made the remarks at the traditional monthly press conference held by his unit yesterday.

The Malian authorities reiterate their unwavering desire to reclaim the entire national territory by making State authority reign over it. At the same time, every effort is being made to reduce violence. In fact, the security situation over the past month has been characterized by 12 direct attacks by armed terrorist groups (GAT) against civilians in multiple locations, at least 7 incidents with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), several ambushes and abuses. This reference period is also critical for the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), who bear full responsibility for the attack by international terrorists on our Tinzawatni patrol, 233 km northeast of the town of Kidal, on the Algerian border.

These attacks against our soldiers were carried out in coordination between different terrorist organizations in the sub-region. From July 26 to 28, the evil forces launched a fierce struggle for survival in adverse weather conditions, causing heavy human and material losses to some and others.

This information was provided yesterday by Colonel Suleiman Dembur, head of the Armed Forces Information and Public Relations Directorate (Dirpa).

It was during the traditional monthly press conference that he presided over the press conference at the service premises. In this exercise aimed at providing real information to the media, Chief Dilpa took stock of the security situation in the area of ​​operations during the previous month, providing certain details of the operations carried out. The speaker also analyzed the security situation and then summarized the activities carried out by the Minister of Defense and the General Staff.

Stabilizing our country – He believed that the increase in the number of IED attacks and incidents compared to June was because the GAT wanted to reverse the trend and regain control over FAMa. In response, the senior official assured that our personnel will remain vigilant and will never succumb to any pressure to stabilize the country.

Furthermore, outside the Kidal region, the Gatgat violence mainly affects civilians in the regions of Sigou, Mopti, Bandiagara, Douentza, etc. More precisely, the attacks took place in Djiguibombo, Tilebi-Wadi, Bankass, Sogou-Toum, Mbela, Diallassagou, Sokanda, etc.

In response to the concerns, the speaker said that the situation in the Kidal region remains under the control of the Malian armed forces and nothing will distract them from their royal mission to defend the territorial integrity of Mali. He said that today, the priority of our forces remains to restore state authority and basic social services throughout the territory, as well as to reduce violence.

He took the opportunity to denounce on social networks the manipulation of images taken from different angles to amplify terror and create fear, in total violation of the conventions governing the treatment of prisoners of war. The ultimate goal of these scenes is to affect the morale of the population and the army, with the sole objective of causing panic and instability.

In that regard, he called on Mali to remain vigilant and patriotic and to remain calm and tranquil in the face of destabilization attempts.

But most importantly, be critical of less reliable sources and avoid sharing information that could undermine cohesion, national unity and living together. Senior officers paid tribute to the bravery and determination of our soldiers who died on the battlefield of honor, expressed condolences to the families of the missing and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

Aboubakar Traore