Published on: 09/22/2022 – 00:47 Modified on: 09/22/2022 – 01:57
Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya landed at the airport of Bamako, Mali’s capital, on Wednesday September 21 late Wednesday afternoon for his first foreign visit since taking power on September 5, 2021. He was greeted by his Malian counterpart, Colonel Assimi Goïta . This comes in a particular international context, as sanctions could be imposed on the Conakry authorities during the extraordinary ECOWAS session scheduled for Thursday in New York.
before his departure Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya confided to the press the purpose of his visit: “I am in Bamako with my brother, President Assimi Goïta, to celebrate the independence of Mali and to support the Malian people, who are a fraternal people. On Thursday, Mali is indeed celebrating the 62nd anniversary of its independence.
Mamadi Doumbouya says he is with his “Malian brothers” for the anniversary of independence.
Colonel Doumbouya “was greeted with honors by President Goïta, head of the Malian junta, on his descent from the Republic of Mali’s presidential plane,” referring to the latter’s services in a press release, which included a “friendly and working visit”.
From Bamako, Colonel Doumbouya called on Guineans to unite and promised to continue the fight against corruption in Guinea:
Mamadi Doumbouya calls on the Guineans to unite from Bamako
But this visit to Mali, the first trip by the head of the Guinean junta since he was ousted by President Alpha Condé, comes on the eve of one extraordinary session of ECOWASon the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The sub-regional body could decide “heavy sanctions” on Conakry authorities if they uphold their 36-month military transition. An “unacceptable” delay, according to the current President, Bissau-Guinean leader Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who spoke on RFI and France 24.
The other file that should be tackled by Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya along with his Malian counterpart is that of 46 Ivorian soldiers arrested in Bamako. A case in which the Guinean head of state had already served as a long-distance mediator between Mali and Côte d’Ivoire. A return of the West African regional organization’s sanctions against Mali could also be worthwhile.