BAMAKO, Mali (AP) 鈥 The head of the military junta that seized power in Mali in 2020 promoted himself Wednesday to the rank of army general with special title: Colonel Assimi Goita of the land army, the highest military distinction held only by two former heads of state in the country鈥檚 history.
The move by Goita is a sign that he has no intention of ceding power to civilians in the landlocked West African country.
The announcement was made by the Council of Ministers, which published a statement on the website of the Malian government鈥檚 general secretariat. Five other highly influential colonels of the Malian military junta were also promoted 鈥渆xceptionally鈥 to the rank of four-star generals.
鈥淭his is another indication that junta leaders will continue to position themselves as the only rulers, and have no intention of having a democratic transition into civilian rule anytime soon,鈥 said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South.
No date has yet been set for Mali鈥檚 presidential election.
