Mali leader thanks Putin for his support on sanctions

According to the Kremlin, Malian President Assimi Goita thanked Russia for helping to eliminate international constraints.

Assimi Goita, the acting president of Mali, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday and expressed his gratitude for the Kremlin’s veto of a resolution calling for the continuation of international sanctions against the African nation.

As a result of a recent attack by Islamist extremists in northern Mali on a military installation and a passenger boat, Putin again expressed his sympathies to the West African country during the call. At least 64 individuals were murdered in the attack.

According to a statement from the Kremlin, “the two leaders had a substantive exchange of opinions on practical measures for the further development of Russia-Mali cooperation in various spheres, such as trade, the economy, and humanitarian efforts, as well as efforts to tackle terrorism.”

Last month, Moscow prevented the UN from renewing its sanctions on Mali, terminating the system that had allowed the organisation to impose asset freezes and travel bans on the government of the African nation, which was accused of breaking a 2015 peace pact. By penalising eight people, the UN Security Council established the regime to apply pressure to Malian officials to carry out the 2015 Peace and Reconciliation Agreement.

Due to Moscow’s opposition, the French and United Arab Emirates’ request to prolong the sanctions and the UN Expert Group’s mandate over Mali through August and September 2024 was unsuccessful.

Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, argued that the proposal disregarded both Moscow’s and Bamako’s objections.

The military leader in Bamako announced on Monday that he had called Putin to express his gratitude for “Russia’s support during the vote at the UN SC on sanctions against Mali.”

“The battle against terrorism and economic cooperation were discussed. He emphasised the importance of using political and diplomatic channels to address the situation in Niger, according to Goita.

Putin and Goita spoke in August about the recent coup in Niger and the subsequent monetary and economic sanctions.

As regional authorities prepared to deploy military force to restore democratic order, the Russian president repeated the Kremlin’s appeal for a peaceful resolution to the political crisis in the former French colony.