Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop has urged African nations to establish strategic technological autonomy in defense and security, emphasizing that the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence, drones, and autonomous military systems requires a political and sovereignty-focused response.
Speaking on Wednesday in Kigali, Rwanda, at the second session of the International Security Conference on Africa, Diop stressed that technological advances are compelling states to secure full authority over defense decision-making rather than relying on external powers.
Co-moderating the conference’s opening panel on Africa’s evolving security landscape, Diop drew on Mali’s operational experience in countering armed groups to highlight the risks of foreign dependency in critical defense sectors. He outlined the asymmetric nature of Sahelian conflicts, which encompass military, economic, and media fronts, while accusing unnamed foreign state actors of supplying advanced equipment and drones to non-state insurgent groups designated as terrorist organizations by Bamako.
To counter these cross-border threats, the Malian foreign minister advocated for regional frameworks like the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—to take direct ownership of their collective security architectures. He urged the broader African continent to transition from a consumer of foreign military equipment into a self-reliant designer, manufacturer, and maintainer of indigenous defense technologies. Achieving this vision, he noted, will require developing a robust domestic defense industrial base and equipping African youth with expertise in advanced technology and artificial intelligence.
Adding to the strategic discussions, Colonel-Major Yacouba Sanogo, strategic adviser to the General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces, detailed ongoing military capacity-building efforts focused on professionalization and adherence to international law. Beyond national defense strategies, the broader Kigali conference addressed ethical governance, legal frameworks, and the necessity of maintaining human oversight and accountability over autonomous weapon systems.
MD/te/lb/abj/APA