The regime s split with the anti-French and pro-Russian Yerewolo – its biggest supporter – may have been provoked by links to Hizbollah, Fear of links to Iran and Hizbollah helped turn interim President Colonel Assimi Goïta s regime against its biggest domestic supporter, and to imprison its leader and harass other senior members of Yerewolo – Debout Sur Les Ramparts ( standing on the ramparts ), according to diplomatic sources.
State electricity utility Énergie du Mali is a crucible for political rivalries and the sacking of its boss highlights a split in the junta s ranks, As early as March, la canicule (the heatwave) is at work, with temperatures peaking above 40 degrees Celsius until June, and with it demand for electricity for air-conditioning. The state utility Énergie du Mali (EDM) habitually fails to deliver.
The mercenary Wagner group will be the main beneficiary as international peacekeepers prepare to quit and jihadists step up attacks, Malian junta leader Col Assimi Goïta pronounced himself very satisfied on his Twitter account following a lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 14 June. The two men discussed Russian deliveries of wheat, fertiliser and fuel, while Goïta also thanked Putin for the latter s assistance in fighting terrorism and stabilising the situation in Mali.
The five ruling colonels are digging in for a long stay – but neither Wagner s mercenaries nor the army are stemming the jihadist tide, The military junta is making itself comfortable. That much was clear on 21 February when the National Transitional Council (NTC), a hastily convened rubber-stamp parliament of 120 placemen of the colonels in Bamako, unanimously voted to hold elections in five years time.
Foreign Minister Diop s attacks on France and peacekeepers meets sceptical silence at UN Security Council, After accusing France of supporting Islamist militia groups at a UN Security Council meeting on 18 October, Bamako s foreign minister Abdoulaye Diop dialled down the rhetoric five days later at the Dakar Security Forum, insisting Mali could work with any partner, including Paris, if they didn t dictate policy. But the Bamako junta s stance, including using Russia s Wagner Group mercenaries, is deterring countries from contributing to the UN peacekeeping force.