Mali residents held a rally in support of RussiaMOSCOW, Jan 16Residents of Mali went to a rally in support of Russia and cooperation between countries. According to RIA Novosti, one of the participants in the demonstration, the head of the Organization of Young Leaders, Sheikh Oumar Sumano, many Malians believe that Russia can help solve existing problems in the country. According to Sumano, thousands of people took part in the demonstration in the country's capital, Bamako, and in total, about three to four million people came out to the actions that took place on Friday in Mali and other countries with the participation of the Malian diaspora. «It must be said that at first they (the protesters) demanded the lifting of ECOWAS sanctions, and in addition, people are in favor of cooperation between Mali and Russia, because there were many who support it,» Sumano said. The protesters came to the rally with posters thanking Russia, among other things . Sumano said that this is the first such action. According to him, it was organized spontaneously and no one tried to pay the protesters. Now, according to Sumano, it is already quiet on the streets of Bamako, but the Malian diaspora continues to demonstrate in the United States and France to support the interests of their people. The head of the Young Leaders Organization said that anti-French sentiment was felt at the rallies, because people believe that «the source of Mali's problem was France», and today's rebels in Mali operate «in unity with France itself». The solution, in his opinion, may come from Russia.Mali accused France of violating the airspace «Many in Mali believe that the solution can come from Russia. They say that many Malians are studying in Russia, Russia supports the army of Mali …» Sumano said. He said that thanks to Russia, «the Malian army very quickly became more powerful and competitive.» The activist noted that he does not yet know if similar actions will take place in the future. According to him, this will be judged on the basis of the results that past demonstrations will bring. Agence France Presse on Friday reported that thousands of Malian citizens took to protests in different cities of the country, speaking out against the tough sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). As noted by the agency, only in the central square in the capital of Bamako, thousands of people gathered in the colors of the national flag. A large crowd also gathered in the city of Timbuktu in northern Mali. Along with this, actions were also held in southern cities. The ECOWAS countries imposed tough sanctions against Mali after the country's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said that it would be impossible to complete the transition period with elections in February 2022 due to the security situation. The association decided to freeze Mali's assets in the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), close the borders and suspend commercial transactions with the country — with the exception of the sale of medical and essential goods. ECOWAS also decided to recall ambassadors to Mali and impose sanctions on financial assistance. The United States and France supported the imposition of sanctions. The authorities of Mali, in response to the imposition of ECOWAS sanctions, closed the borders with the countries of the union, with the exception of Guinea. The UN pointed to the hypocrisy of the West in the situation with Mali
