The leader of Mali's government, Assimi Goita, met on Tuesday with the Russian ambassador, according to a social media post from his office, his first public appearance since terrorists carried out simultaneous attacks on Saturday.

West Africa's Al Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg-led separatists hit Mali's main army base and the area near Bamako's airport, while driving Russian soldiers, who were deployed in support of government forces, out of Kidal in the north.

Mali's defence minister, Sadio Camara, died in the assault. President Goita had not been seen until the social media post published on Tuesday afternoon.

The scale and the scope of the offensive on multiple sites across the vast West African country was widely condemned, including by the United Nations and the African Union.

The Malian government has said that the situation is under control.