To Stay or To Go: Comrades in Arms or Colonizers in the Frontlines? Statement by Malian Interim President General Assimi Goita
Those who say that France hasn't
done anything or that France has to stay. I have been on the frontline with
them, I have eaten with them, I patrolled with them, and I listened to their
radio. "What I heard if you were there, you're going to shoot them. When we were on a field, the French put us in front, and in case of no danger, we would answer R.A.S. And in case they shot at us,
they said this is war, huh!" Many Malians fell in front of us and we
couldn't say anything. "All you had to do was revolt, and the next day
Bamako called you. That is, if 100 Malian soldiers died, a single Frenchman
would fall, or zero loss on the French side. I remember that famous day when we
were 5 kilometers from Kidal; we could already see the rebels coming back. We
told each other that Kidal is going down. In no less than 15 minutes, a
lieutenant colonel comes to inform us that we are forbidden to enter Kidal. I
and four of my comrades wanted to force and disobey France."
"As we were moving forward, they clearly said one more step and you would
each have a bullet in the head. On this day, I cried like a baby. And I call
our superiors in Bamako, their only response is "we must stay behind
France". The next day, we see these French refueling rebels in front
of us. I even looked at one of them in the eyes, and he smiled to laugh at
me. After refueling and donating eight
pick-up vehicles. The French told us they did it for peace between Azawad and
Mali. I revolted again; it is in this context that I saw myself delivered to
his rebels one day. When they had given up our position so that I and my
revolutionary colleagues would be arrested." Indeed, we were
arrested." And on the radio, I heard Bravo and the other gamma in the basket.
Mission accomplished.. That was the code with those French. We told each
other it's over for us. I've been thinking, and I learned it is a privilege to die
for one's country."
"In addition, I laughed. On a day like this, we announced that we will be released, but during our stay, we have done business with these people. The number of generals, French colonels who called a day, was priceless. When I return, I see I am being given training, degrees. As Mali has always been my priority, and everyone in the army knows that. I learned to protect my country, so I already know the north like my pocket. And I know who these French are, and they know who I am. "I am a highly trained commando. I am also an always-ready man. If you see we are not dropping bombs on these jihadists, it is because when they take a village hostage, they use women and children as shields. For the one who doesn't know war, how do you want us to drop bombs on a village? Y'all forget there are women & children. Do you forget that these women and children are innocent?"
In a war, one must be strategic and
cautious. I promise you, Mali will be free with my colleagues, we will liberate
Mali. We come from far, and we are not politicians. We are liberators, whoever
wants to understand. Whoever doesn't want him to go to the phenomenal front? We
have a very rich and huge land. We can make it perfect".
To redefine US-Africa engagement, Washington must recognize the power of the African diaspora
The United States needs to pay more attention to the digital identity economy. In my work researching how African diaspora communities in the United States maintain their connections to their homelands, I have found that long-standing experiences involving racism, combined with growing anti-immigrant sentiments, have led many members of the African diaspora to strengthen their ties to the continent.
To Stay or To Go: Comrades in Arms or Colonizers in the Frontlines? Statement by Malian Interim President General Assimi Goita
Those who say that France hasn't done anything or that France has to stay. I have been on the frontline with them, I have eaten with them, I patrolled with them, and I listened to their radio.
Why Is It So Difficult for Africans to Comprehend That Any Foreign Interests, Corporations, Or Countries Are Not on Our Continent for Our Benefit?
The difficulty in recognizing that foreign interests often prioritize their own agendas over African benefit stems from a mix of historical, economic, and psychological factors.
Our Skinfolks Are Not Always Our Kinfolks
The Cote d'Ivoire president Alassane Ouattara and the Africom commander General Michael Langley. History tells us that they always use one of us to infiltrate us. When are we going to stop focusing on greed driven personal gains? When are we going to start thinking about our collective interests? When are we going to go back to our foundational values of Ubuntu and Agbajowo? As long as we focus on capitalism, there will always be those who will betray us.