Mali’s Junta Chief elevates himself to top Army rank

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’s 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’s general secretariat. Five other highly influential colonels of the Malian military junta were also promoted “exceptionally” to the rank of four-star generals.

“This 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,” said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South.

No date has yet been set for Mali’s presidential election.