Russia has sent a plane loaded with humanitarian aid to Mali on Friday, the Emergency Situations Ministry said. "An Il-76 aircraft flew to the Malian capital of Bamako to deliver humanitarian aid with a stop-over at the airport of Tunis," the ministry said in a statement.
The plane carried 36 tons of cargo, including blankets, tents, canned food and rice, the ministry said.
The Malian army in January launched a counter-offensive against Islamist rebels in the West African country's north with the backing of other African countries and France, the former colonial ruler of Mali.