Mali Moves to Extend Goïta’s Rule as AES Bloc Advances

Mali’s cabinet has approved a proposal to extend the leadership of Colonel Assimi Goïta for a renewable five-year term, consolidating the transitional president’s position in the country’s sweeping political realignments. The bill now heads to the National Transitional Council (NTC) for consideration, potentially setting the stage for Goïta to continue steering Mali’s ongoing reforms and regional strategy.

Mali’s realignment

Colonel Goïta came to power in 2020, following mass popular protests against former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, and has since emerged as an important leader in Mali’s political evolution and in the growing assertiveness of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a regional bloc formed by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger in September 2023.

Under his leadership, Mali has pivoted sharply away from France and Western-backed organizations like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), focusing instead on building regional solidarity and reclaiming political and economic sovereignty.

The AES has been widely celebrated across the region as a bold step towards sovereignty and collective security. The alliance aims to address shared challenges, including persistent jihadist insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda, which have destabilized the Sahel for over a decade. 

The member states have also championed efforts to reduce foreign military dependence and foster homegrown solutions to their security and governance crises.

Assimi Goïta: a defining leader in Mali’s transition

Colonel Assimi Goïta has had a long military career that equips his leadership, he was born in 1983, the son of a Malian Armed Forces officer. His military education began at the Kati Military Academy (PMK) and continued at the Combined Military School of Koulikoro, where he chose to specialize in armored weapons and cavalry.

Goïta’s early military career was forged in Mali’s harshest terrains. In 2002, he was assigned to the 134th Reconnaissance Squadron in Gao, later serving as deputy commander of the 123rd Reconnaissance Squadron in Kidal from 2005 to 2008. He led critical tactical operations against armed groups and drug traffickers along the Mali-Algeria border between 2008 and 2010.

From 2011 to 2013, Goïta commanded Mali’s 2nd Support Company and the 37th Transport Regiment, before volunteering to join the Special Forces in 2014. His rapid rise saw him involved in key national security assignments, including his role as special operations coordinator at the Ministry of Defense after the 2015 terrorist attack on the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako.

From 2016 to 2017, Goïta led operations for Mali’s Special Forces Battalion in Sofara and, since 2018, he has commanded the Autonomous Special Forces Battalion, participating in several critical military campaigns across northern and central Mali, as well as external missions in Darfur. 

In 2020, deep public frustration over government corruption, economic decline, and the worsening security situation reached a breaking point. Mass protests broke out nationwide. The protests, organized by the June 5 Movement – Rally of Patriotic Forces (M5-RFP), drew tens of thousands of Malians into the streets demanding the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. 

Goïta, who at the time was a prominent commander in Mali’s Special Forces, emerged as a figure aligned with the people’s call for change. On August 18, 2020, he led a military coup that arrested President Keïta and forced his resignation the following day.

Initially, a transitional civilian government was formed, but following disputes over the pace and direction of reforms, Goïta staged a second power move in May 2021, deposing the interim leadership and officially becoming the transitional president of Mali on May 28, 2021.

Mali’s political shift and regional realignment

The proposal to extend Goïta’s rule reflects his sustained domestic popularity, particularly among Malians who see him as a symbol of resistance against foreign interference and a driver of national renewal. 

Critics, however, argue that prolonging transitional military leadership risks undermining democratic norms and delaying the long-promised return to civilian governance. Yet, many also note that the current realities in the Sahel present a unique context where the traditional benchmarks of liberal democracy do not fully capture the urgency of the region’s fight for survival, stability, and sovereignty. Mali and its people operate within a hostile environment.

Governments within the AES bloc continue to adopt patriotic measures aimed at reasserting political and economic sovereignty, prioritizing local ownership of resources, and resisting what they perceive as neo-colonial domination. In Mali’s case, these policies have included the diversification of security partnerships, and asserting control over key national assets.

The bill now awaits the National Transitional Council’s ratification. Nevertheless, Mali’s path under Goïta will remain critical to understanding the broader realignment unfolding in West Africa. The developments in Mali and the Sahel reveal an uprising where the pursuit of sovereignty, even under transitional military regimes, is increasingly shaping new political models. The AES is one such model that lies beyond the frameworks historically imposed by former colonial powers and international financial institutions.

Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch