Name? Assimi Goïta
Westphalian identity? Malian
Age? 39
Why is he in the news? Earlier this week, President of Mali, Assimi Goïta, called for the expulsion of the French ambassador, Joel Meyer, giving him 72 hours to leave the country. This comes after the French ambassador’s indindiary comments of the current Malian transitional government, saying they are “illegitimate” and “out of control”.
Why do we care? This repudiation from Assimi Goïta’s junta shows their continued efforts to play into anti-French sentiment among the Malian population. By attacking the French legacy in Mali, Goïta hopes to rally support as he faces international doubts of his legitimacy. In the end, continued anti-French rhetoric and symbolic dismissals highlight the trend of Mali moving towards Russia’s sphere of influence.
Why should you care? To be honest, this should not and will not keep you up at night. With anti-French sentiment on the rise in West Africa, it was only a matter of time that one would take steps against the French government. This will affect France’s diminishing soft power in the region, therefore you should only care 2/10 of Goïta’s dismissal of the ambassador.
Who else cares? French President Macron has been kicked out diplomatically and has left Mali militarily. With France’s Mali mission masked as fighting against terrorism (ISIS), natural resources such as Nigerien Uranium were the actual core interest. Malian leaders always wondered why France cared about ISIS (10 percent of the problem) close to Mali’s border with Niger, instead of JNIM, a consortium of al-Qaeda-linked groups (the remaining 90 percent). The explanation is that ISIS came too close to the source of 30% of France’s Uranium imports, a powersource Macron wants to expand and cannot lose control of.
Any further comments? Goïta has been feeling pressure from the international community and ECOWAS in particular due to his suggestion of postponing the national elections to 2026! A very long time for a “transition” if you ask us!
