Mali’s Goïta visits Moscow as Africa corps replaces Wagner in fight against Jihadists

Mali’s transitional president, General Assimi Goïta, arrived in Moscow on Sunday on a five-day official visit the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

The talks come ahead of the Russia–Africa Summit, and are aimed at reinforcing bilateral ties between the two countries.

They are expected to focus on deepening cooperation in key areas such as security, energy, and transport.

Goita came to power following coups in 2020 and 2021, and Mali has since turned away from the West in favour of closer ties with Moscow.

In May, the junta dissolved all political parties amid a growing crackdown on dissent and announced that Goita would stay in power for at least another five years, despite repeated pledges to hold elections.

The interim president’s visit to Moscow come shortly after Russia’s paramilitary Wagner group was replaced in Mali by its successor Africa Corps.

They have been helping Bamako fight a long-running Islamic insurgency against jihadist groups allied to Islamic State and al Qaeda.