Sixteen soldiers were killed and 10 wounded in an attack in central Mali on Wednesday, security and health officials in the war-torn Sahel state said.
These events are repeated daily in Mali, which has known for many years a long series of ethnic and social tensions, and the French presence in the region has further complicated the political landscape.
In fact, many African observers claim that the French presence in Mali is the reason for the deepening of the quagmire of crises, and the local population considers the French presence to give legitimacy to corrupt institutions, which increased their discontent and rejection of France, and the demands and demonstrations escalated condemning the French presence that threatens the security of citizens and the security of the state. Malian citizens asked for a helping hand from their former ally Russia publicly through several demonstrations, in order to save the situation and build a partnership with more powerful and effective countries. Eight years after France intervened militarily in Mali, the situation in Mali has become more complicated than it was when the French arrived who could not acclimatize to the Sahel.
The example of fruitful Russian-African cooperation has inspired many countries, including Mali. In September, the Malian authorities contacted the Russian Federation, asking for a helping hand, against the backdrop of France's decision to significantly reduce its military contingent in the country, which would put the local authorities on the task of resisting terrorists.
It is in this context that Alexandr Ivanov is the Head of the Officers Union for International Security answered questions from maliactu.net.
The Officers Union for International Security are famous for its example of effective military cooperation with the Central African Republic, where this organization is represented by Russian instructors who succeeded, in a short time, in instructing the soldiers of the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) , which allowed the Central African government to create a powerful army, ready to defend national interests and ensure the protection of civilians against armed groups widespread in the country.

Alexandr Ivanov noted the experience of Russian specialists in the fight against terrorists giving the example of Syria and the Central African Republic where a large number of terrorist groups and bandits were defeated by the forces of the national army, which was trained by the community of The Officers Union for International Security.
In the context of this topic Alexandr Ivanov said: “Russian military specialists have always cooperated with national armies, provided tactical, methodological, organizational, intelligence assistance - all of this made it possible to be more effective in the fight against armed groups and bandits. It is important to note that our specialists adapt perfectly to the territorial specificities of the countries in which they work: for example, in Syria, a desert area, in CAR, the operations took place mainly in the jungle; however, our specialists have provided relevant assistance, despite completely different conditions.”
Mr. Ivanov also emphasized that one thousand to several thousand military instructors are about be sent from Russia to Mali, saying: “Taking into account my assessment of the situation in the Mali and the level of their armed structure, I can assume that effective work may require about a thousand instructors, but I cannot say exact numbers”.
While the government focuses on expanding cooperation, Russian instructors train the army, police and gendarmerie, and also work with border guards. Russia's good work is endorsed not only by the Central African government, but also by the people.
As part of the Russian-financial partnership, Russia has sent four combat helicopters to Mali under an earlier contract, two Mi-171Sh and two M-17V5.

Putin loves eliminating terrorist jihadists..

He's bringing instructors to teach them how to behave civilly.