Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Turkish Cooperation: A “high-level” Turkish military delegation was in Bamako on August 6th for talks on boosting military cooperation between the two countries, state-run ORTM TV reported. The delegation, led by Maj-Gen Ilkay Altindag, held separate talks with Defence Minister Col Sadio Camara and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Maj Gen Oumar Diarra. “Turkey continues to stand by Mali and supports the fight against terrorism,” Turkish ambassador to Mali, De Efe Ceylan, told ORTM after meeting Diarra, adding that it was Turkey's “duty” to assist Mali “against international terrorism”. Tuareg separatist groups have demanded Ankara stops selling drones and other sophisticated weapons to the Malian junta, which they accuse of ethnic cleansing and war crimes in northern Mali. (BBC Monitoring 6/8) Officer Training: At least 100 Malian officer cadets have completed a five-month training as part of efforts to boost military recruitment to counter terrorism in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), privately-owned Mali Jet reported on August 18th. The trainees, including six women, have enhanced their skills in a range of areas, including tactics, weaponry, operational communications, counterterrorism and drug trafficking, the report said. Col Aboubacar Sermé, the commandant of the Officer Training School, said the graduates will help “strengthen cooperation and integration to meet the common security challenges facing the sub-region”. The report said the 100 officers in the second group to graduate from the training programme were all Malians, but the Malian army intends to extend the training to other AES countries – Burkina Faso and Niger. The three Sahel countries have deepened military and security cooperation since spurning the West in favour of deeper defence ties with Russia. (BBC Monitoring 18/8) Acquisitions from Iran: The Malian junta is planning to acquire an “ultra-modern” air defence system from Iran to help in its fight against terrorism, privately-owned Mali Jet website reported on August 21st. It added that the defence system designed in Iran is called BAVAR 373 and “well-known for its 305km range and ability to track up to six targets simultaneously”. (BBC Monitoring 21/8)
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4402479085