The president of the transitional government was the target of an assassination attempt with a knife on Tuesday in Bamako, on the sidelines of the Aïd al-Adha celebrations.
Colonel Assimi Goïta had a very close call. While he wanted to attend the immolation of the imam’s sheep at the Grand Mosque in Bamako, the Malian capital, a young man tried to stab him in the back.
The assailant did not hit the president but he reportedly wounded “another person” according to Latus Tourè, the mosque manager. For his part, Colonel Goïta “is safe and sound.”
The Presidency of Mali tweeted that “the attacker was immediately subdued by the close security” of the president of the transition, adding that “investigations are underway.”
Goïta was invested a little over a month ago as president of the transition to replace Bah N’Daw, whom he had pushed to resign. Before presiding over the destiny of Mali, this army officer held the post of vice-president of the transition.
Mali has been in a cycle of political uncertainty since the overthrow of the elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (IBK) by the military led by Colonel Assimi Goïta on the night of August 18 to 19, 2020.
Currently, former transition president Bah N’daw and his Prime Minister Moctar Ouane are still under house arrest. Recently, the strongman in Bamako promised the African Union (AU) to lift the restrictions on these two personalities.
During their mission, which began on July 14 in Bamako, the AU Peace and Security Council envoys welcomed the “progress” in the political situation in Mali. At the end of their visit, Goïta reiterated his commitment to respect the eighteen-month transition that should lead to the holding of general elections in February 2022.
ODL/id/lb/abj/APA