As part of the 64th anniversary of the Malian army, the head of the military government, General Assimi Goita, announced the creation of an arms industry.
General Goita, announced on Sunday the creation of a national military industry in 2025, including “assembly units for individual and collective weapons” and “assembly of light tactical vehicles.”
“The process of equipping the armed and security forces will be improved in 2025 with the establishment of a military industry,” the Malian leader said in his speech to the Nation, adding that the country was working “actively on the installation of arms factories” also including “ammunition manufacturing.”
Referring to the “rise in power” of Malian forces, General Goita stressed that “Mali is no longer a favourite terrain for those nostalgic for a bygone past.”
This is a thinly veiled reference to the former French partner whose troops left the country in 2022.
The Malian president also praised at length the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) with Burkina Faso and Niger, calling it “the fruit of a vision of rediscovered unity” that makes it possible to “stand together in the face of challenges and threats.”
