Malian army chief of staff General Oumar Diarra ended a three-day visit to Kigali, Rwanda on Thursday (May 12th). He notably met Paul Kagame there, as well as his counterpart, the chief of staff of the Rwandan army. The aim was to strengthen cooperation in security and defence.
With our correspondent in Kigali, Laure Broulard
At the microphone of Rwandan national television, General Oumar Diarra spoke of the stability of Rwanda and the projection capacity of his army, especially in Mozambique, before listing the objectives of the Malian army. “ It is about strengthening our capacities and operating independently to defend our territory “, did he declare. Bilateral cooperation in defense and military training was therefore on the menu for discussion.
Breaking out of diplomatic isolation
In Kigali, the Malian Chief of Staff met with Paul Kagame, with the Rwandan Defense Minister, but also with Jean Bosco Kazura, Chief of Staff of the Rwanda Defense Force (Rwanda Defense Force ) and connoisseur of Mali since he was commander of Minusma between 2013 and 2014. He also went to Bamako in October 2021 for a working visit where he had already met military officials.
During his 3 day visit, the Chief of General Staff of Malian Armed Forces, Maj Gen Oumar Diarra met with President Paul Kagame at his office at Village Urugwiro. He was accompanied by the RDF CDS, Gen JB Kazura and the RDF Head of IMC, Brig Gen P Karuretwa. pic.twitter.com/DUNxGMnqiM
—Rwanda Defense Force (@RwandaMoD) May 11, 2022
For the researcher Paul Simon Handy, the arrival in Rwanda of the Malian delegation this week is the sign that Bamako has realized its isolation, and that it is attempting a diplomatic offensive towards certain African countries.
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