BAMAKO — Malian transitional leader Assimi Goita met with Russian Ambassador Igor Gromyko in Bamako on Tuesday, according to his office, which published photos of the encounter. It was Goita's first public appearance since rebel attacks over the weekend.

Goita had not been seen publicly since Saturday's assault, when West Africa's al-Qaeda affiliate and a Tuareg separatist group attacked Mali's main army base and the area near Bamako's airport. Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in the assault.

Al-Qaeda fighters and Tuareg separatists joined forces against the military government and its Russian paramilitary backers during the weekend attacks, which were the largest in nearly 15 years. The assault drove Russian soldiers out of Kidal in the north, and social media footage showed Russian mercenaries and Malian troops surrendering to armed groups.

The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that mercenaries from Russia's Africa Corps had withdrawn from Kidal, while asserting that its paramilitary forces had prevented a coup by stopping rebel fighters from seizing key objects including the presidential palace. The ministry said it urgently wanted peace and stability in Mali.

"In fierce battles with overwhelming enemy forces, the units of the Africa Corps inflicted irreparable losses on the enemy in personnel and hardware, forcing them to abandon their plans and preventing them from carrying out the coup d'etat, retaining the authority of the legitimate government, and preventing mass civilian casualties," the Russian Ministry of Defence said.

Russia warned that Tuareg separatists who captured Kidal are regrouping for fresh attacks. Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims were reported to be advancing in northern Mali on Tuesday.