Africa-Press. Official media in Mali reported that the country’s leader, Assimi Goita, has taken on the role of Minister of Defense, in addition to his leadership of the ruling military authority.
The state television noted that Goita received the defense portfolio following the death of the former minister in coordinated attacks that occurred on April 25, carried out by militants linked to al-Qaeda, along with elements from Tuareg separatists.
The report added that the Chief of Staff of the Malian army, General Omar Diara, will assume the position of Minister Delegate for Defense, describing this move as a “strategic decision in a security context that remains sensitive.”
The government had previously announced that Sadio Kamara, the former Minister of Defense who played a pivotal role in strengthening relations with Russia, was killed when a car bomb driven by a suicide bomber attacked his home. General Assimi Goita had promised to address the chronic security crisis in Mali when he took power in 2020.
Over the weekend, Malian authorities announced that they had arrested a group of soldiers allegedly linked to the attack. According to the prosecutor in a military court in Bamako, an investigation revealed that both former and current military personnel were involved in planning and executing the attacks.
Malian authorities also stated that they collaborated with the armed forces of neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso to conduct airstrikes against militants and separatists. In a statement, Nigerien authorities indicated that the joint operation began just hours after the attack.
The three countries, all under military rule, formed a Sahel coalition, expelled French forces, the former colonial power, and instead sought assistance from Russian forces to help repel the insurgents.
