Mali’s interim president, General Assimi Goïta, accused the French military of betraying Malian soldiers during joint operations against insurgents in northern Mali. Goïta, a former colonel who led a 2020 coup, recounted his firsthand experiences fighting alongside French forces, alleging they used Malian troops as cannon fodder, abandoned them in combat, and even colluded with rebels.
Goïta described how Malian soldiers were sent to the frontlines during dangerous missions while French troops remained safe, with hundreds of Malians dying as a result.
He recalled a particularly painful incident near Kidal, where Malian forces were ordered to halt their advance despite being close to victory, under threat of being shot by their French allies.
Goïta claimed he witnessed French forces supplying fuel and vehicles to rebels, mocking Malian suffering. When Malian soldiers protested, he alleged, the French facilitated their arrest by rebels, celebrating the betrayal over their radios.
”I watched with my own eyes — the French handing fuel and pickup trucks to the rebels! They smiled at us as if mocking our suffering. When we spoke up, they betrayed us, even setting us up to be arrested by the rebels. On their radios, they celebrated: ’Mission accomplished.'”
Despite these hardships, Goïta said the experience strengthened his resolve. He vowed to lead Mali to independence, declaring that the country’s future lies in the hands of its people, not foreign powers. “We are not politicians. We are no puppets. We are liberators,” he said, emphasising his intimate knowledge of northern Mali and his commitment to defeating the nation’s “true enemies.”
Goïta portrayed Mali as a resource-rich country with immense potential, promising to unite its people to ensure prosperity.
The speech comes amid strained relations between Mali and France, with the junta increasingly aligning with Russia for military support. Goïta’s remarks signal a deepening rejection of foreign influence and a call for national sovereignty, resonating with growing anti-French sentiment in the region.
Source: ORTM, ortm.ml